DeAndre Higgs is only a sophomore, but he already has a season of varsity experience under this belt. That makes him a veteran on a young Thornton team.
Higgs, a 6-foot-3 guard/forward, knows his teammates and coaches are looking to him to set the tone.
“When I came to school, I expected that,” Higgs said. “I knew I had to be a leader on and off the court. Before this season, coach (Tai Streets) told me, ‘You’ve got to be the man of the team.’
“So, I took that to heart and I’m just trying to meet those expectations.”
Higgs was hyped up to be the man in the biggest moment Saturday.
He converted the game-winning layup with four seconds left to lift the Wildcats to a 52-50 upset victory over Homewood-Flossmoor in the After the Game Shootout at St. Ignatius in Chicago.
Higgs scored off a pass from freshman guard Dakari Nesbitt, who ended up leading Thornton (5-8) with 14 points.
“I knew ‘Kari’ was going to get downhill so I just did a cut to the basket, he got me the ball and I made the easy play,” Higgs said. “Made the layup. Made the game-winner. Then we could celebrate.
“H-F is a top school, so to beat them felt great.”
Higgs finished with nine points and nine rebounds. Jeremy Blanco-Rios scored 10 points and Triston Johnson provided eight points and 12 rebounds for the Wildcats.
Ethan Jackson scored 15 points to lead H-F (15-2), while Marvin Douglas finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds and Jayden McDonald scored 10 points.
The Vikings played without two starters, Danny Ruffin and leading scorer Darrius Hawkins Jr.
On the winning play, Nesbitt pointed out that the ball was supposed to go to Blanco-Rios but things did not go as planned. The freshman, Nesbitt, stayed composed.
“I ended up with the ball and I made a play for my team,” Nesbitt said. “I saw the open guy and I made the right play. DeAndre’s my boy. I knew he’d make it.”
Higgs delivered in the way that Streets expect from a player who continually impresses his coaches with his maturity.
“I treat him as a senior,” Streets said. “I keep forgetting he’s still 15 years old. It’s not fair, but it is what it is. He’s handling it well.
“We ask him to do a lot. We’re not very big so we ask him to play inside. We ask him to play guard. He has to do a little bit of everything.”
Higgs was given a big role as a freshman last season. He took plenty of lessons away from his first experience with high school basketball.
“I was trying to fit in with the team as a freshman, as the new guy, and just trying to find my spot and my role,” Higgs said. “I learned a lot. You have to talk more and the game moves way faster.
“Now I know what to expect.”
And Higgs is passing down advice to Nesbitt.
“He’s been teaching me a lot since he was a freshman on varsity last year,” Nesbitt said. “He’s shown me the way. We’ve got a good connection on and off the court.”
It was the second big win in as many days for Thornton, which beat district rival Thornwood 49-40 on Friday night.
“We’re growing up right in front of our own eyes,” Streets said. “We’ve been competitive all year but we couldn’t get over the hump. After these two games, our guys can believe.”
Higgs certainly thinks things are trending up for the Wildcats.
“We’re starting to turn the page,” Higgs said. “We started the season not too good, but now we’re starting to figure things out.
“We’re all learning things. Me included.”
