For about 30 seconds, Griffith worked the ball around the perimeter while nursing a late two-point lead.
And then senior LaDerrick Williams moved into open space.
“I found a gap in the back of their defense, and my teammates found me,” the 6-foot-2 forward said. “Then I just had to make the bucket.”
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Those two points helped Griffith hang on for a 64-59 victory on the road at Lowell in a thriller between two of the top teams in the Northwest Crossroads Conference.
Williams played sporadically in the first three quarters but entered the game for Griffith (12-0, 3-0) with three minutes left after fellow senior Torin Dillon fouled out.
On that late possession, he slipped open to the right of the basket, catching a pass from Jake Dye and laying it in to give the Panthers a four-point lead with 20 seconds left.
Griffith coach Gary Hayes said he prepares his players for high-intensity situations like that at each practice.
“I always tell our kids that we shouldn’t miss a heartbeat when you come in,” Hayes said. “You have to have that mental toughness when you’re coming in off the bench.”
Griffith trailed Lowell (10-4, 2-1) for much of the game, primarily because of Lowell senior John Cory, who had a game-high 26 points.
“He did a nice job of breaking down their defense and getting to the basket,” Lowell coach Joe Delgado said.
Hayes said the Devils used Cory in an unexpected fashion.
“They went with him off the dribble, and they caught us by surprise,” Hayes said. “After the game, I told (Cory) what an unbelievable effort he gave tonight. And they did a great job with their back screens to really negate our defense.”
Lowell led 50-45 to start the fourth quarter and increased that advantage to eight with about four minutes remaining. But Griffith tied the score at 58 on a 3-pointer from Al Ervin with 2:20 to play.
Griffith’s Tarves Arnold then blocked a Lowell shot, and Williams hit a pair of free throws to put the Panthers in front. He then added to the lead with his layup a few possessions later.
Lowell managed just one point on its final four possessions.
“We had a few baskets that I thought we were going to make,” Delgado said. “They did a good job of rotating on defense and got a few blocks there at the end. But I thought we played well.”
The Panthers were led by 23 points from senior Cornell Hampton, as the Panthers repeatedly worked the ball to their big man to keep the score close.
“That was the key,” Hayes said. “We got the bounce pass in to Hampton.”
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.