Haith's buzzer-beater caps Elgin Academy's stunner over Elgin
To finish off one of the biggest wins in its program's history, Elgin Academy put the ball in the hands of a freshman.
And boy did he deliver.
Jabe Haith capped off an unforgettable start to his high school career while giving his school a signature victory by drilling a 20-footer at the buzzer to beat Elgin 73-70 Tuesday at the 13th annual Westminster Christian Thanksgiving Tournament.
Haith's shot completed a comeback from 10 points down in the fourth quarter and set off a wild celebration with teammates mobbing Haith before they gathered themselves and shook hands with the stunned Maroons.
"It means a lot to us," Haith said. "It means a lot to everyone. Everyone is excited in the locker room. We just have to keep on going and we have more to prove still."
The result had a most definite David vs. Goliath feel, Elgin Academy with its 112 students taking down Elgin at 2,576 (enrollments according to the IHSA).
"The bigger schools around here, Larkin and Streamwood and Bartlett, we don't belong playing them," Elgin Academy coach Rick Williams said. "But when we saw this opportunity and a tournament scenario, we thought we can't lose. This is great. We get a chance to play a big school or we make history.
"It was the pregame speech. We knew if we played together we could do something that people would remember for a long time and show people the school on the hill has good players. We have good players who care about the sport and care about each other. I'm just so proud of them."
The last-second shot was far from the only big play by Haith down the stretch. He scored 13 of his team-high 23 points in the fourth quarter.
The Hilltoppers (1-0) needed every one after four of their players fouled out in the fourth - Eli Peagus, Samuel Basa, Ryan Ulrichs and Ethan Hill.
Elgin (1-1) looked in control up 61-51 when Christopher Toolsie hit a 3-pointer with four minutes to go.
Cameron Agno started Elgin Academy's comeback with a layup. Christian Rodriguez and Agno both made a pair of free throws, then Haith's putback brought the Hilltoppers within 62-59.
Trailing 65-61 with 2:14 left, Haith buried a corner 3-pointer, the Maroons turned the ball over, and Rodriguez drove for a basket and a 66-65 lead - the Hilltoppers' first since it was 5-4.
Haith added 2 free throws for a 3-point lead but Elgin answered with a basket by Xavier Bonds, who led all scorers with 25 points, an Elgin Academy turnover and two free throws by Giovoni Griffin to regain a 69-68 lead.
Haith drove down the lane and dished to Reece Zonts for a lay-in and a 70-69 lead with 30 seconds left.
Jeff Lomax (16 points, 9 rebounds) split two free throws with 20 seconds remaining, tying the game at 70 and setting the stage for Haith's heroics.
"He plays with a lot of moxie," Williams said. "You can call him a freshman but when you talk about how much he trains and how much he puts into the game, he's played a lot of basketball for this moment. He's a great kid and we're lucky to have him. We called the play for him. To call a play for a freshman shows how much confidence we have in him."
Haith caught the inbounds pass near the top of the key and waited until the clock ticked down to about five seconds. He drove left inside the 3-point arc, took a dribble back to shake the defender, and calmly knocked down the shot.
"I was a little worried," Haith said. "I thought it was short. I was fading away. Just a whole bunch of joy and excitement. It was a good team win. We proved to everyone that we can play with teams now."
Griffin and Darien Jackson both added 8 points for Elgin.
"We didn't deserve to win," Elgin coach Todd Allen said. "They outplayed us. Turnovers on our end and not taking care of the ball. Credit to them. They deserve the win. They came with more firepower and more intensity. We have to learn from it."