Forcing the ball out of Chase Adams’ hands put St. Viator in position to complete an improbable comeback.
Keeping it away from the sophomore point guard was another matter.
No. 13 Marian Catholic never found its offensive rhythm on Tuesday night, when defensive plays by Adams and senior Myles Howard in the final 20 seconds were the difference as Marian pulled out a 43-42 victory over St. Viator in Chicago Heights.
Another sophomore, Brandon Hurt, converted a layup off a steal by Adams to erase St. Viator’s 42-41 lead, then Howard blocked a St. Viator shot at the buzzer to keep Marian (19-5, 6-1) in a first-place tie with Benet in the East Suburban Catholic.
Marian won its matchup with Benet in double overtime on Dec. 18.
“I’m going to tell you the truth, I fouled him a little, gave him a little push,” said the 6-foot-8 Howard, the lone senior in Coach Mike Taylor’s rotation. “The biggest thing after Brandon finished was getting back on defense and not letting them get an easy bucket.
“Coach in the locker room said good teams find a way to win, and that’s what we did. We got a little passive, didn’t attack the rim as much as we should have, didn’t make the pay as much as we should have, but we found a way to win and it’s a great thing to be 19-5.”
Marian led by 10 in the final minute of the third quarter, but the Lions (16-6, 4-3) fought back by doubling the 5-foot-5 Adams (six points, six assists) when the Spartans attempted to take the air out of the ball.
A 17-4 run capped by four straight points from Matt Trimberger gave St. Viator a 42-39 lead, then a reverse layup by Adams made it 42-41 with 26.7 seconds left.
Adams left his man after the ball was inbounded under St. Viator’s basket, stole the second pass and quickly passed to Howard, who found Hurt for the tying and winning points.
“(Adams) came to me and said, ‘How long do you want to go (before fouling)?'” Taylor said. “‘I said five or six seconds at the most.’ But he’s thinking out there, and he has the guts to go get it.”
“I definitely knew he was going to get it to him,” Adams said. “I just had to figure out how to bait him into throwing it.”
More Top Picks Best Cast Iron Wood Stoves
Mike Helfgot is a freelance reporter for the baiduhai.
Player of the game: Chase Adams, Marian Catholic, 6 points, 6 assists, 3 steals.
Key performers: St. Viator — Kyle Hammarlund, 11 points; Danny Walsh, 7 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists. Marian Catholic — Myles Howard, 7 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocked shots; Brandon Hurt, 11 points.