With the state tournament looming a week away, seventh-ranked Proviso East had to beware of an upset, especially against rival Proviso West. On Saturday, the underdog almost pulled it away.
Daniel Brown scored 10 points, including the game-winning shot, a running one-handed jumper with 15 seconds left, to give the Pirates (21-3) the narrow 61-60 win in the West Suburban crossover.
“Big-time players like to take big-time shots,” East coach Andrew Johnson said of Brown’s shot.
Six of Brown’s points came in the fourth quarter as East wiped out a three-point deficit going in. Nathan Marshall, who led the Panthers (10-13) with 12 points and seven rebounds, missed a jumper at the buzzer.
Proviso East jumped out to a 21-13 lead after one quarter, but Proviso West rallied to tie the game 29-29 by halftime and stayed close throughout.
Shannon Brown led Proviso East with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Charles Richardson chipped in with 10 points, six steals and four assists. Daniel Brown also contributed four assists and three steals.
West Aurora 50, Naperville North 40: Jamaal Thompson had 13 points, five assists and five rebounds and hit the back-breaking three-pointer late in the fourth quarter to spark No. 5 West Aurora (21-3, 11-2) to the DuPage Valley win. Mike Benning led Naperville North (8-16, 6-7) with nine points. Naperville North led by three at halftime as West Aurora hit 3-of-13 shots in the second quarter.
“We didn’t come out fired up,” Thompson said. “[Naperville North] came out strong and hit their shots. It was a physical game, and they seemed to play a better physical game.”
Jason Thomas added 13 points and Chris Jenkins 10 for the Blackhawks.
Schaumburg 85, Elgin 71: Mark Pancratz tallied 21 points and eight rebounds and Scott Zoellick added 17 points to lead the No. 18 Saxons (20-3). Schaumburg opened the third quarter with a 22-8 run to break away from a 34-34 halftime tie. Bryan Creed’s 17 points led Elgin (18-7).
Fenwick 66, Stagg 58 (OT): In non-conference action, the Friars (11-13) edged Stagg behind Ashtyn Bell’s 14 points and David Winikates’ 13. Fenwick was 10-of-11 from the free throw line in the overtime. Jon Womack put in a game-high 24 points to lead Stagg.
Fremd 69, Waubonsie Valley 65: Brian Duncan scored 18 points and Pat Monaghan contributed 13 points as the Vikings (10-14) held on. Monaghan hit a three-pointer with 47 seconds left to put Fremd ahead. Elijah Collins’ 15 points led Waubonsie (18-6).
Geneva 65, Marmion 47: Andy Madden’s 15 points led the Vikings (20-4) in the non-conference victory.
Illinois Math and Science 55, York 53: Charles Hwang’s basket at the buzzer lifted IMSA. Hwang finished with 17 points. Kevin Kenny’s 14 points led York.
Montini 73, Timothy Christian 61: Joe Gae hit four three-pointers to finish with 17 points and Bobby Mersch added 13 points to spark Montini (22-3) in a non-conference game. Josh Biesboer led all scorers with 29 points for Timothy.
Naperville Central 68, Glenbard East 54: Michael Wilson had 18 points and Ryan Paradise added 12 as the Redhawks (19-6, 11-2) won in the DuPage Valley.
Niles North 53, Niles West 39: Brian Plotkin scored 13 points and Rohan Lindsay had 10 points to lead Niles North.
Riverside-Brookfield 61, Downers Grove South 60: Tim Brasic scored 22 points and Shatone Powers added 18 as the Bulldogs (11-12) escaped. Jordan Richmond had 22 points for Downers South, which missed three shots in the final eight seconds.
Stevenson 67, Waukegan 56: The Patriots (16-9) won the non-conference game as Rueben Trotter scored 18 points and Bobby Stineman contributed 14.
St. Ignatius 60, Marist 49: Colin Ochs scored 15 points and Matt Weber put in 13 as the Wolfpack (14-11) handled Marist.
St. Patrick 60, Nazareth 54: Anthony Scala scored 21 points to lead the Shamrocks (20-4) past Nazareth. Chris Mroz added 11 points for St. Patrick, which went on a 12-0 run to turn a 42-39 deficit to a nine-point lead.
“We dug down deep and played some good old Shamrock defense,” St. Patrick coach Mike Bailey said.
Preston Purchase’s 17 points topped Nazareth (16-10).
Wheaton North 75, West Chicago 52: Mike Dunne and Derek Meister scored 13 and 12 points, respectively, for the Falcons (20-4, 10-3) in the DuPage Valley.
