Warren clips Libertyville in OT
We're only a few weeks into the basketball season, but the Warren boys are already carving out an identity.
The Blue Devils are a "close-shave" team.
Of its six games, Warren has had three decided by single-digits and two go into overtime.
The Blue Devils have won all three of those tight games, including Friday's North Suburban Conference tilt against visiting Libertyville.
Warren outscored Libertyville 12-5 in overtime to record a 59-52 victory.
"I think this shows that we fight," Warren junior guard Sawyer Shrake said of another overtime win. "We always want to win. That's just how it is. We're confident in one another and we just have that desire to win."
Shrake did his part in the fight. He knocked down a huge bucket in overtime with a 3-pointer that broke a 50-50 tie and put the Blue Devils up for good.
Warren (4-2, 1-1 North Suburban Conference) also got another clutch 3-pointer in overtime from senior guard Tavion McCarthy.
The rest of the Blue Devils' points in overtime were from the free throw line.
"Our guys play so hard in practice that I've got a lot of faith in them in close games, and we've had a few of them," said Warren coach Jon Jasnoch, whose team has also defeated Mundelein and Deerfield in close games. The Deerfield game over Thanksgiving went to double overtime. "The overall message is that our guys play hard and they're competitors and they don't want to lose.
"I was just thinking during the timeouts tonight that I have faith that our kids could pull it out because they've done it before. They find ways to win."
Shrake finished with 12 points, just behind junior forward Adnan Sarancic, who had a team-high 14 points.
McCarthy (9 points), Juan De La Cruz and Seamus Mellican each had 2 free throws apiece in overtime to help Warren pull away.
"It was a hard-fought, back-and-forth game, and both teams played really hard," Libertyville coach Brian Zyrkowski said. "This is the North Suburban Conference. Anything can happen here."
Libertyville senior forward Travis Clark made overtime happen for Libertyville.
Warren took a 47-44 lead with less than a minute left in regulation when Shrake hit a layup.
But as Libertyville worked the ball in its next possession, Clark got the ball in the post and made a strong move to the basket, finishing in the paint with contact.
Warren called a timeout with 20.7 seconds left to try to ice Clark before his free throw. But Clark knocked it down anyway for an old-fashioned 3-point play that tied the game at 47-47.
The Blue Devils had a couple of looks at the basket as time ran out but couldn't connect.
"We could have played better earlier in the game but we all definitely stepped it up in the fourth quarter," said Clark, who finished with a game-high 15 points. "My teammates got me open, it was a good shot (to tie the game) and they trust me and I trust them. When I'm feeling it, they trust me and get me the ball."
Clark, a reserve last year, has seen his role expand tremendously as the Wildcats have looked to move forward after graduation last year took away one of the best players in program history, Drew Peterson.
"It's been a transition for us," Clark said of retooling post-Peterson. "But we have a lot of players who can step up and hit big shots. It's been a transition for sure, but not in a negative way.
"And for me, this year, it's more on me to get the energy flowing from the beginning and make sure our guys are ready to go. If I'm hustling and getting the other guys going, I feel like I'm doing what I need to do."
Fellow seniors Brian Wilterdink and Josh Steinhaus also scored in double-figures for Libertyville. Wilterdink finished with 13 points, including a big 3-pointer for the first score in overtime, while Steinhaus had 11 points.