George Brandon, Jr. stood in disbelief behind the Niles North boys basketball team’s bench as spectators filed out of Highland Park’s main gym on Friday night.
Brandon’s Vikings (18-8, 6-3 Central Suburban North) had just eked out a gut-wrenching 51-50 win over Highland Park (17-5, 6-3) on a night during which senior guard Abby George dropped 27 points, draining seven of his nine shots from three-point range. But Brandon questioned a particular detail.
“He missed?” Brandon asked, shaking his head and placing his hands on his head.
George did indeed miss — just twice — but it was his momentous shooting spurts that propelled Niles North to a key victory over the Giants after losing three in a row to Highland Park dating back to last season.
“I feel like I’m a really good shooter,” said George, who transferred from Maine East this summer. “My coaches kept stressing to me to keep shooting, keep shooting, and they went in.”
More Top Picks Best Slip On Walking Shoes With Ankle Support
“He was special,” Niles North coach Glenn Olson said. “He set the tone for us early, hitting shots. And him hitting shots gave our whole team a lot of confidence. You need a guy to step up and do those things, and he did it.
“He’s been a phenomenal teammate from the second he got here, so our guys want to share the ball with him … He may be small in stature, but he’s a warrior.”
And in a roller coaster of a contest, George’s precise shooting stood as a single constant.
“He was feeling it,” Highland Park sharpshooting guard Luke Norcia said.
Highland Park led, 16-14, after the first quarter, but Niles North dominated the second, with George engineering a 16-2 run. After a back-and-forth third quarter and an even start to the fourth, the Vikings led, 45-41, with 1:35 left.
Highland Park senior guard David Sachs nailed a corner three to cut the lead to 45-44, but Brandon hit a layup in transition to put the Vikings up three with 35 seconds to go, and a Jason Beermann missed three for Highland Park with 25 seconds left all but sealed their fate.
“It’s like a boxing match — 15 rounds,” said Brandon, who scored 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting. “They punch, you punch and you just get the last punch to win the game.”
If it was indeed a 15-round bout, the Vikings won just eight rounds. But that narrow margin was enough to drive them into a tie with the Giants for second place in the CSL North. Deerfield (16-10, 8-1) beat Glenbrook North, 50-47, on Friday to clinch the conference crown.
Norcia and Sachs led Highland Park with 18 and 16 points, respectively. And coming off a five-game win streak, the loss represents a setback for the Giants, but they’re focused on senior night on Saturday against Lake Zurich.
“We lost to a very good team tonight,” 16th-year Highland Park coach Paul Harris said. “The guys understand that we only have four regular season games left. The reality of only having four left is a motivation enough for them.”
Sam Brief is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.