Conant scored on a rare four-point play and held on in the final 4 minutes to edge host Barrington 49-48 in a Mid Suburban League crossover game Tuesday night.
With the Cougars trailing 46-45, Russ Michna canned a three-pointer and teammate Dave Stanczak was fouled under the basket on the same play. Stanczak connected on one of two free throws to put the Cougars on top by three with 3 minutes 37 seconds remaining. Barrington pulled within a point 2 minutes later on Chad Thalheimer’s putback, but the Broncos could only manage a desperation shot at the buzzer by Jess Sayre that bounced off the rim.
Sayre’s late bomb came after Barrington took 90 seconds looking for a game winning basket. Coach Mike Obsuszt said, “We were looking for a good look at the basket and a high-percentage shot. That was the best shot, Jess thought.”
And who could doubt the senior guard who held game-high scoring honors with 15 points–all on second-half three pointers. Sayre connected on four long-distance bombs in the third period when the Broncos overcame an eight-point halftime deficit to take a 41-35 lead with 35 seconds left in the period. Michna rallied the Cougars (16-9) in the closing moments with a three-pointer and a driving layup at the buzzer.
Barrington (11-15) held its final lead of the game when Tim Meyer stepped inside for a layup 4 minutes into the final quarter.
Good inside passing and strong rebounding helped the Cougars take an early 10-4 lead. Michna scored four points and added two assists in the run. Both passes benefited 6-foot-7 Brian Costin, who opened the game with a slam and from deep inside.
Todd Moser caught fire with three consecutive treys late in the first quarter to help narrow the game to 17-15 after 8 minutes of play.
Michna and Costin each finished with 14 points, and Stanczak added eight.
“The biggest momentum swing was the three by Michna,” Conant coach Tom McCormack said, referring to the junior forward’s late fourth-quarter shot. “That was a tough shot when we had no momentum going.”
Moser contributed 11 points, and three teammates, Tom Spicer, Tim Meyer and Thalheimer, each chipped in with six.
