It didn’t matter if Renell Taylor was under the weather Tuesday night.
Taylor, despite his discomfort, made two free throws with 8.7 seconds left to give Hales Franciscan a 49-48 upset of No. 8 Brother Rice in Catholic League action.
With Hales trailing 48-47, Taylor drew a foul from Marty Masterson and calmly converted both ends of a one-and-one.
“Renell was a little sick during the week, but he played well in the fourth quarter,” Hales coach Mike Taylor said. “It was a great high school game, both teams played hard and executed well on both ends.”
Jawaan Stalling led Hales (15-8, 9-3) with 23 points, while Taylor and Justin Stewart finished with 10 points apiece.
Greg Noha scored 18 points to lead Brother Rice (19-4, 10-1), which held a 23-21 halftime lead.
“We were scared to death tonight,” Brother Rice coach Pat Richardson said. “We’re the undefeated team and we didn’t play with any aggressiveness. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
Lincoln-Way 76, Bradley-Bourbonnais 41: The No. 4 Knights (19-4) romped as Kevin Menard scored 25 points and James Augustine added 23.
Shepard 58, Bremen 39: Jon Cleveland scored 23 points to lead the No. 9 Astros (19-4) in non-conference action.
“Jon really busted his butt tonight,” Shepard coach Tony Chiuccariello said. “That’s what I expect from him though. He’s not the most physically talented player, but he plays with a lot of heart.”
Lorenzo Yelder added 15 points for Shepard, which scored the game’s first nine points. Cerron Pritchett had 13 points and six rebounds to lead Bremen (10-13).
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Chicago Latin 68, Morgan Park Academy 51: Mike Rudoy scored 16 points and Tyrell Bell added 15 points for the Romans (22-2, 12-0) in the Independent School League win.
Dunbar 69, King 59: Jason Straight had 30 points, five rebounds and four steals as the Mighty Men (16-7, 10-1) clinched the Public League Red Central. Martel Mahon added 13 points, nine rebounds and four blocks for Dunbar, which led 34-33 at halftime. Joseph Toney had 25 points and David Easterling contributed 15 points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots to lead King (8-15, 5-6).
“Even though Sonny [King coach Landon Cox] doesn’t have one of his better teams, they’re still King,” Dunbar coach Fate Mickel said. “They have a lot of height and some good shooters. They played us tough.”
DuSable 60, Gage Park 54: Joseph Davis’ 11 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and six steals and Richard Moody’s 15 points led DuSable (10-13, 5-6) in the Public Red Central. Jermaine Govan had 17 points for Gage Park (16-10, 4-8).
Eisenhower 88, Rich East 58: Chris Hobson’s 47 points set a school single-game record as the Cardinals (10-13) rolled.
Lane Tech 79, Mather 61: Curtis Collins had 20 points and 10 rebounds for Lane (14-13, 5-6) in the Public Red North win.
Lemont 48, Chicago Christian 37: Jason Reiter scored 17 points and hauled down 12 rebounds to lead Lemont (13-9).
Mt. Carmel 56, St. Rita 47: John Cullnan’s 17 points led the Caravan (14-11, 4-6) in the Catholic League.
Prosser 89, Sullivan 53: Maurice Vaughn totaled 30 points and 27 rebounds–and did not play in the fourth quarter–as the Falcons (14-13, 5-6) rolled in the Public Red North. Vaughn had 22 points and 20 rebounds in the first half alone as Prosser jumped out to a 53-17 lead.
Robeson 60, Harper 44: George Jones scored 21 points and Courtney Williams added 14 points and seven rebounds to lead the Raiders (14-11, 7-4) in the Public Red Central. James Roberson added 11 points and nine assists for Robeson, which trailed 25-23 at halftime.
Taft 57, Lake View 44: Fred Bailey and Earl Hughes each scored 15 points for the Eagles (22-3, 11-0) in the Public Blue North.
Tilden 58, Englewood 56: Keith Gayden had 19 points and eight rebounds for Tilden (16-7, 9-2) in the Public Blue Central win.
Von Steuben 102, Lincoln Park 86: The Panthers led wire-to-wire in the Public Red North, with Phillip Watson leading five players in double figures with 22 points and seven rebounds. Luke Rogers and Darnell Rawls added 20 points each for Von Steuben (20-4, 12-0). Royce Parran scored 25 points and dished out five assists to lead Lincoln Park (6-13, 4-7).
Wheaton North 67, Hinsdale South 49: Brian Allured scored 25 points and made five three-pointers and Mike Dunn contributed 16 points as the Falcons (18-4) cruised.