Homewood-Flossmoor’s Marvin Douglas helped his teammates pass a test that the Vikings didn’t imagine they would have to take Friday night on the road against Stagg.
H-F, ranked No. 9 in the state in Class 4A by the Associated Press, has plenty of offensive firepower but was held without a point while being outscored 17-0 in the third quarter.
“I never thought that would happen,” Douglas said of being blanked in an eight-minute quarter of action. “It’s not ideal, but you gotta do you what you gotta do to win it.”
Douglas went out and definitely did what he had to do.
The senior forward broke up the scoring skid with a quick basket to start the fourth. It sparked the Vikings to a 58-51 SouthWest Suburban Conference win over the host Chargers in Palos Hills.
Sophomore guard Darrius Hawkins Jr. led H-F (22-3, 12-1) with 15 points, including five free throws in the final 28 seconds. Douglas followed with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Ethan Jackson scored five of his 10 points in the final 2:26 of the game.
Petar Zoko led Stagg (12-13, 4-9) with 23 points and added eight rebounds. Mohammad Farhan finished with 10 points and nine rebounds, while Omar Barakat chipped in with 10 points.
Douglas, meanwhile, was able to use his senior savvy to help prevent the upset.
“We depend on Marv a ton,” H-F coach Brandin Brown said. “He was a part of a senior-led team last year and didn’t get much of an opportunity. He was playing behind some really, really good seniors.
“But Marv learned from those guys. That’s the mark he’s leaving with these guys. When things do get hard, he just finds a way to help us out.”
H-F led 33-23 at halftime before the disastrous third quarter and faced a 40-33 deficit heading into the fourth, but Douglas opened things up right away with a basket.
“That started the momentum for sure,” Douglas said.
With 5:39 left, he made a spin move in the lane for a basket to give the Vikings its first lead of the quarter at 42-40 and they never trailed again from there.
“That was definitely a nice one,” Douglas said. “You could feel the momentum going our way.”
The 6-foot-4 Douglas was done scoring for the night but wasn’t done rebounding. He hit the boards and brought the ball down with 46 and 16 seconds left to thwart Stagg comeback attempts.
“He’s a senior leader and he brings aggression on the court,” Jackson said of Douglas. “He brings the energy and he keeps everybody hyped all of the time.”
Jackson, a senior guard, made a big 3-pointer with 2:26 left to play. He later converted another basket that also loomed large.
Brown confirmed the two seniors stepped up when the Vikings needed it.
“You never want to go scoreless in a quarter, but I think it was a real good lesson for our boys,” Brown said, “We have a young group, and they were up 10 at the half and they kind of relaxed.
“I’ll give Stagg all the credit in the world because they came out clawing, scratching and biting. But I’m proud of the way my boys responded in the fourth quarter.”
Both seniors were on the sophomore team two seasons ago when the Vikings varsity made history and won the Class 4A state championship for the first time in program history.
While both had to wait their turn for significant playing time last season, they are thinking big this season with the playoffs right around the corner.
“We have a lot of young players, but they are competitive and that gives us an edge,” Jackson said. “It allows us to push through when we face some adversity.”
“Our team really wants it and never gives up,” Douglas said. “We have some dawgs on this team who really want it.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
