Huskies Escape With 59-57 Nail-Biter Over Downers Grove North

Down by two points to the Oak Park and River Forest Huskies with one second on the clock, Downers Grove North guard Jack Stanton lost his defender atop the key and caught the baseline inbounds pass in stride.

With a clear look at the rim, Stanton’s momentum carried him to his right, shooting hand just in front of the Trojan bench. As a pair of Huskie defenders scrambled to close in, the sophomore lofted a three-point floater that was midway to the hoop when the buzzer pierced the OPRF Fieldhouse.

At that moment, after 32 minutes of action—including a frenzied final quarter in which Downers North had pounded away at an 18-point deficit—all anyone could do was hold their breath and gape at the ball’s flight.

The ball caromed off the back of the iron, and the Huskies escaped with a 59-57 victory.

“That,” recalled OPRF Coach Phil Gary, “was the longest one second of my life.”

The victory meant a season sweep for the Huskies over Downers North, as they had edged the Trojans, 58-52, a month ago. The win moved OPRF’s record to 15-10, 8-4 in the West Suburban-Silver Conference. The Trojans are now 14-9, 5-7 in the conference.

Though it was OPRF’s sixth win in seven games, it felt more like a stagger-to-the-finish than any kind of momentum to build on as the playoffs approach next week. Clearly, if they want to make a deep postseason run, the Huskies must recapture the energy and focus that they exhibited in the second and third quarters of this contest.

In that span, they outscored the Trojans, 39-18, to turn a three-point deficit into a seemingly insurmountable advantage, 48-30, heading into the final period. However, a spate of turnovers, missed shots and lackluster defense set the stage for the stressful, suspenseful conclusion.

After converting only three three-pointers in the first 24 minutes, Downers North nailed five three-pointers in the final frame. Guard Maxwell Hauck (16 points) knocked down four threes, including two in the fourth.

“We took our foot of the gas a little bit, got a little complacent,” said Gary. “They got momentum and they started making shots, and we got lethargic.”

Still, OPRF had possession and a five-point lead with 25 seconds left after Huskie senior Justin Mullins (20 points) hit two free throws. But an errant inbounds pass near half court led to a quick Owen Thulin three-pointer for the Trojans.

With 19 seconds left, OPRF guard Christian Marshall (nine points) missed a pair of free throws. Downers North guard Finn Kramper had a chance to put the Trojans ahead with three seconds to go, but he missed a three-point try from the corner. The long rebound wound up in Stanton’s hands, but he was in no position to shoot. Trojan Coach Jim Thomas alertly called a timeout with that one precious second on the clock.

The entire night represented the winding down of 10 Huskie careers—at least on their home court. In a nod to Senior Night, the entire starting lineup was comprised of seniors and all 10 seniors played in the first half. In addition to regular starters Mullins, center John Vincent and guard Roscoe Cadwell, Raimon Yarbrough and Owen Detmer opened the game.

Other seniors are Max Murray, Clark Turk, Keaghan Elmiger, Connor Hoehne and Luke Loftus.

“They brought really good energy to start the game,” Gary said of the seniors.

Trailing 12-9 after one, OPRF outscored the Trojans in the second, 25-12. The Huskies closed with a dunk-and-one from the 6-foot-9 Vincent. With a second left, Vincent (eight points) was fouled, then converted the free throw for the old-school three-point play and a 34-24 halftime lead.

“That catapulted how we came out in the second half,” Gary said.

Downers North managed only six points in the third quarter, which was marked by a stepped-up defensive intensity. But OPRF’s zeal and focus faded thereafter, all the way to the final shot. On that play, a Huskie defender turned his head the wrong way and lost track of Stanton’s whereabouts.

Next up: the Huskies face Jones High School on Wednesday, February 23rd in the first round of the Riverside-Brookfield Regional. Jones is 13-15, 4-5 in the Chicago Public-White West Conference.