Zion-Benton and North Chicago displayed Saturday what a first-place game should be all about.
The teams battled for 47 minutes in the North Suburban Prairie contest before the host Zee-Bees finally found a way to win, converting 10-of-10 free throws in the third overtime for a 89-84 victory.
Andre White scored 28 points–25 in the second half and overtimes–to lead Zion-Benton (13-2, 4-0). White, who made six three-pointers, scored 14 points in the fourth quarter alone, helping Zion to a 61-53 lead with 6:02 left.
“There’s not enough you can say about Andre White,” Zion-Benton coach Don Kloth said. “Nothing he does surprises me.”
Undaunted, North Chicago (7-7, 3-1) went on a 14-4 run, capped by a Robert Vaughn layup, to grab a 67-65 advantage with 1:10 remaining in regulation. Quienton Dennis hit a jumper with 17 seconds left to force overtime. David Rettig blocked a potential North Chicago game-winning shot at the end of regulation to preserve a 67-67 tie.
The game was tied at 70-70 after the first overtime and 79-79 after the second overtime.
Rettig, who had nine points, made 4-of-4 from the free-throw line in the third overtime as the Zee-Bees outscored North Chicago 10-5.
“Every year, regardless of the records, it’s always a hard-fought and competitive game when North Chicago and Zion-Benton play each other,” Kloth said. “We beat a very good North Chicago team.”
DeVaunn Johnson tallied 29 points and Demetrius Terrell added 21 points to lead North Chicago.
West Aurora 62, Wheaton Warrenville South 52: Despite suffering from flu symptoms, Jamaal Thompson scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds as the No. 4 Blackhawks (11-2, 4-1) rebounded from Friday’s loss to Wheaton North. Thompson’s three-point play with 1:29 left put West Aurora up six points and sealed the outcome. Derik Hollyfield and Jordan Lozano scored 14 points apiece for the Blackhawks.
Wesley DeVries and James Wangler had 16 points for Wheaton South (5-9, 1-4).
DeKalb 69, Sterling 41: Justin Diedrich had 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting as the No. 18 Barbs (14-0) won easily. Erik Jaske added 15 points on 7-of-9 from the field for DeKalb, which outscored Sterling 22-2 in the second quarter.
Central Illinois Shootout: Jake Fortes scored 30 points as Monmouth (9-2) edged Lisle 69-66. John Parker and Joe Cortez each had 15 points to lead Lisle (11-2).
Elgin 50, Loyola 45: Shamar Sallis scored 16 points and Colin Williams had 13 points as the Maroons (10-4) picked up the non-conference victory. Colin Falls led Loyola (11-4) with 20 points.
Gordon Tech 73, Lane Tech 64: Julian McElroy’s 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds led the Rams (9-5). Greg King added 18 points and seven rebounds and Joe Soroko contributed 12 points for Gordon. Marcus Smith’s 14 points and 11 rebounds led Lane (8-6).
Hinsdale Central 65, Deerfield 50: G.J. King’s 23 points and nine rebounds led the Red Devils (7-6) in the non-conference game. King had 14 points in the first half as Hinsdale Central jumped to a 33-17 lead. Casey Rothing had nine points for Deerfield (6-6).
Holy Trinity 73, Luther South 50: Devonsha Pope had 19 points and Deon Smith chipped in with 15 as Holy Trinity (10-5) romped. Marc Willie’s 24 points led Luther South.
Huntley 64, Richmond-Burton 29: Jason Kalsow’s 17 points guided Huntley (13-2, 2-0) to a blowout in the Big Northern White.
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Lake Forest 65, Glenbrook South 46: Michael Liddy had 22 points and five rebounds as the Scouts (11-3) cruised. Liddy scored 11 points, including nine points on three-pointers, as Lake Forest jumped out to a 18-4 first-quarter lead.
“The first half I thought we executed our offense really well,” Lake Forest coach Bill Donlon said. “We shot the ball very well in the first half and got a lot of open good looks. Liddy was a spark for us tonight, he has been playing very well for us lately.”
Jetter Gibson’s 14 points topped Glenbrook South (8-7).
Maine South 50, Notre Dame 48: Troy Traynor’s jumper at the buzzer gave the Hawks (10-4) the non-conference victory. Bryan Smaha scored 19 points and John Vigna had 12 points to lead Maine South, while Traynor finished with nine points. John Bowler’s 18 points led Notre Dame.
Marmion 57, Hinckley-Big Rock 55 (OT): Andy Madden and Ben O’Connor scored 10 points apiece and sophomore German Aquino hit two free throws with 20 seconds left in overtime to seal the non-conference victory for the Cadets (4-10). Nate Viland scored 15 points for Hinckley (10-4).
Naperville Central 66, Naperville North 56: The logjam atop the DuPage Valley started to break up a bit as the Redhawks pulled away from the visiting Huskies in the fourth quarter.
Senior forward Mike Wilson poured in 31 points to lead Central (11-5, 4-1) to its second conference win of the weekend. Naperville Central remains tied for the conference lead along with West Aurora and Wheaton North.
North pulled to within three points at 47-44 with 6:56 to play, but a 9-2 Central run over the next three minutes helped the Redhawks build a comfortable lead.
“I don’t know if it was a real good basketball game,” Central coach Bob Sterr said. “We didn’t handle their pressure very well as far as trying to run some stuff [but] I thought we did a better job of rebounding than we have in some other games and we shot the ball a little better.”
Andrew Gordon paced the Huskies with 11 points while Corey McKeon, Zach Jeanes and Jay McCareins each had 10 for Naperville North (4-10, 3-2.). Trevor Cockayne added 12 for the Redhawks.
Rock Falls Shootout: Robert Faulkner scored 23 points and Steve Turner added 20 points as Peoria Richwoods (13-1) blew out Dunbar 83-60. Jason Straight’s 16 points led Dunbar (5-4).
St. Benedict 74, University High 46: The Bengals (7-8) rolled in non-conference action as Pat Luna poured in 22 points.
St. Charles East 67, Lake Park 37: Sean Regan scored 14 points and the Saints (10-3, 4-1) used a 19-0 first-half run in the Upstate Eight blowout. Nick Stellato and Chris Jones added 10 points apiece for St. Charles East.
St. Ignatius 65, Holy Cross 48: Shaun Gallagher and Drew Sasseas each scored 13 points as the Wolfpack (8-8) breezed. Victor DeBoer’s 11 points led Holy Cross, which drops to 8-7.
Schaumburg 88, Conant 79: Mark Pancratz tallied 32 points and six rebounds and shot 15-of-17 from the free-throw line as the Saxons (10-3, 3-0) held on in the Mid-Suburban West. Conant tied the game at 79-79 on two free throws by Antonio Poole, but Schaumburg finished the game on a 9-0 run with seven points on free throws. Poole led Conant (10-5, 2-1) with 18 points.
Warren 62, St. Joseph 48: In a rematch of the 1999 state title game, the Blue Devils (10-4) attained some revenge as Aaron Moore scored 24 points and grabbed six rebounds. Nick Sackman added 17 points and eight rebounds for Warren. Teishous Price led St. Joseph (2-12) with 15 points.
Westminster Christian 80, Fox Valley Lutheran 24: Andrew Steines scored 16 points as Westminster (6-8, 3-0) won handily in the Tollway Athletic.
Wheaton Academy 50, St. Francis 48: Noah Ritchie and Jim Fortosis each scored 18 points for the Warriors.
Wheaton North 64, Glenbard North 41: Dan Walser scored 17 points and Brian Walser added 13 points as the Falcons (11-2, 4-1) cruised in the DuPage Valley. Wheaton North showed no letdown from Friday’s victory over No. 4 West Aurora by outscoring Glenbard North 23-3 in the third quarter. Jake Allen’s 10 points led Glenbard North.