Geoff McCammon disappeared off the recruiting radar when he didn’t play much AAU basketball last summer.
College coaches may soon be calling the 6-foot-4-inch senior after he poured in 28 points Saturday night to lead No. 19 Conant to a 65-59 upset of No. 3 St. Joseph in Hoffman Estates.
McCammon went head-to-head all night with 6-6 Ohio State signee Evan Turner and never flinched.
“My teammates lifted me up and gave me the confidence to go against a big-name player like Evan Turner,” McCammon said. “It was a big challenge for me to face the player rated No. 2 in the state. Everyone knows about him, and nobody knows about me.”
Turner finished with 19 points, and his jumper with 2 minutes 38 seconds left gave St. Joe (15-3) a 54-53 lead. McCammon, who scored 11 in the fourth quarter, hit a three-pointer to ignite a game-winning 11-2 run.
“My teammates rely on me to hit big shots, and I don’t want to let them down,” McCammon said. “I had to hit those shots in the fourth quarter.”
Matt Collins had 13 points and some key rebounds in the fourth quarter, and Eric Loos scored 11 for Conant (16-1). McCammon, Collins and Loos combined to make seven of eight free throws in the final 50 seconds.
David Dixon had 14 points and eight rebounds for St. Joe, and Demetri McCamey and Garrett Leffelman scored 11 points each.
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bsakamoto@tribune.com
