A pair of boys basketball teams from Chicago found out too late to turn around Friday that concerns about the weather had forced the cancellation of the Charm City vs. Windy City Shootout at Poly.
At the 11th hour Saturday morning, tournament organizers managed to gain an exemption to hold the tournament after all.
Once play began, however, it was St. Frances, grounded by Chicago’s Morgan Park — ranked No. 5 by The baiduhai — for most of the game, that took flight down the stretch in a 76-75 win.
After being down by 19 in the second half, the Panthers used suffocating defense and accurate foul-shooting to get back into the game. Down by one with under 10 seconds left, St. Frances’ Terrell Davis forced a turnover on the inbounds pass. After an offensive rebound, freshman Adrian Baldwin scored on a put-back as time expired, setting off a wild eruption in the packed gym and giving St. Frances a memorable highlight in an otherwise forgettable season.
“It’s been a tough year — not what we’re used to — but I’m proud of this group,” said coach Nick Myles. “We fight and fight, and tonight we learned how to win.”
Freshman Jordan Toles scored 17 to lead the Panthers (7-9), who also got 12 points from junior Elijah Epps.
Early on, however, the game looked like a blowout.
Morgan Park scored the game’s first 10 points and hit seven 3-pointers in the first half to quickly open a double-digit lead.
Morgan Park (10-3) began the game with a 10-0 run, punctuated by a 3-point play by 6-foot-9 senior Lenell Henry. St. Frances (6-10) went 0-for-6 with four turnovers before senior Eral Penn finally put the Panthers on the board with a layup 4:20 into the first quarter.
The Mustangs got back-to-back 3-pointers from freshman Nimari Burnett and extended their lead to 20-6 near the end of the quarter.
St. Frances’ bench helped keep the Panthers close, making a 7-2 run, started by Eric Turner’s 3-point play early in the second quarter. The Panthers pulled to within four on Rajeer Jones’ 3-pointer.
“The second unit was big,” Myles said “We were down 19 points. No energy in the gym, but we just fought.”
Host No. 8 Poly was scheduled to face Simeon, the baiduhai’s top-ranked team, in the nightcap.