Midway through his first season at Lincoln-Way East, KaiJay Brown endured some struggles and saw his role change from a starter to a reserve.
Brown, a junior guard who transferred from Simeon, kept the faith. And kept working.
“I had a little slump, but I had to stay there mentally,” Brown said. “Coach (Luke) Yaklich told me, ‘Everything happens for a reason.’ I just trust Yahweh, my Father, and stay level-headed. I just keep shooting. I know the hours I put in and the work I put in is going to pay off.
“I never doubted myself for one second.”
Brown backed up his belief Tuesday night, coming off the bench to score 23 points and help visiting Lincoln-Way East pull off a thrilling 54-53 SouthWest Suburban Conference win over district rival Lincoln-Way Central in overtime in New Lenox.
Jaymon Hornsby, who finished with seven points, hit the game-winning jumper at the buzzer in OT for the Griffins (14-12, 8-6). Wes Shelby scored 12 points, while Aaron Stauffacher and Jonathan Aluyi chipped in with six points apiece and Stauffacher added six rebounds.
Nick Brzezniak led Lincoln-Way Central (18-9, 9-5) with 19 points, including 10 in overtime, and six rebounds. Alex Panos added 14 points and seven rebounds, while Micah Evans contributed seven points and seven rebounds.
Brzezniak’s free throw with five seconds left in OT gave the Knights a 53-52 lead before Hornsby delivered the heroics.
“I missed some free throws earlier,” Hornsby said. “I had to make it back up. When I got the ball, I was like, ‘I’ve got to go.’ There were a few seconds left. I had to go make a play. It went in. That was an amazing feeling.
“This is my team. Central beat us on a buzzer-beater last year. They beat us in OT earlier this year. It felt great to get one back.”
Brown was the biggest reason the Griffins were in position to win the game at the end.
Lincoln-Way East started sluggishly, to say the least, and trailed 7-4 after one quarter before Brown entered the game and scored seven points in the second quarter.
“It was a game changer,” Brown said. “I feel like I’m really a team player and I tried to get us all going.”
Brown was huge down the stretch as well, knocking down two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and scoring six points in overtime.
“KaiJay’s going to be a really, really good player,” Yaklich said. “When he gets to 170 pounds, he’s going to be a monster next year. He’s growing every day.
“We put him on the ball screen in the fourth quarter and told him to get downhill. He made some big free throws in overtime, made the big floater. He stepped up.”
Brown confirmed it took him a little time to get used to his new environment, but he has settled in nicely.
“Being out in the suburbs, it’s so nice and beautiful out here,” he said. “The competition level and style of play is different. It took me a little while to adjust, but once I got going with my teammates, it was a breeze.”
Hornsby is sure glad to have him as a teammate.
“KaiJay’s a great shooter and a great guy to have on the team,” Hornsby said. “If you make the extra pass to him, he’ll always knock it down. He’ll always lift you up. He can take the point if I need him to also.
“He’s always working hard and I love playing with him.”
Yaklich credited Brown with accepting coaching and making adjustments to his game. Brown pointed out that he will always listen to Yaklich, a former head coach at Illinois-Chicago and an assistant at Michigan and Texas.
“I’m 110% locked in with coach ‘Yak,’” Brown said. “He gives me words of wisdom every say. He’s easy to trust. He’s already sent people to the league. That’s where I want to go.”
