Bartlett’s Drew Martin knew his 16-foot jumper Tuesday against Barrington was a bad idea a split-second after taking it.
It went in anyway.
At that point, the Hawks could do little wrong as they finally had tempo and momentum going their way en route to a 48-41 victory.
“That was a little shaky shot,” Martin said.
Bartlett (14-9) finally achieved a desired rapid pace during a 13-6 push over the final four minutes to deny host Barrington (14-9).
Even the shot Martin took with a three-point lead and two minutes left found only net, when coach Jim Wolfsmith would have preferred a more conservative strategy.
“It was not the shot we wanted to take in that instance,” Wolfsmith said. “The fact it went in maybe assuaged my anger a little bit.”
Bartlett trailed 33-28 in the fourth quarter but had breathing room with a 41-38 lead and possession. Instead of stalling to coax a Barrington foul, the 6-foot-1 Martin saw an opening and didn’t hesitate with his jumper near the free-throw line.
“Ben (Fisher) made a really great pick so I was open and went up and took it,” said Martin, a senior guard. “Then coach gave me the look.”
Austin Gates scored a game-high 16 points and combined with Martin for key plays during a 6-0 stretch that gave Bartlett the lead for good. It all occurred when Bartlett finally unleashed its fast break.
“Our defense was a lot better tonight and on offense, we just got better shots at the end,” Gates said.
Gates slid inside for a layup off an assist by Ben Tompson, and Bartlett led 37-35. Then Martin stole the ball just past midcourt, drove and was fouled. His made free throws with 3:38 remaining.
Finally, Gates beat everyone to a long rebound and raced past defenders for a layup to make it 41-35.
“There were a lot of stops/steals that led us into breaks and got us into better rhythm,” Wolfsmith said. “Most teams will tell you if you get a couple turnovers for layups, a couple of those feel-good, and-one kinds of things, then the whole tenor of the offense changes.”
Bartlett’s faster pace continued into the final minute after Martin’s jumper. Tomas Vikonis drove quickly downcourt through the defense for a twisting layup and three-point play to make it 47-41.
Bartlett hit 70 percent (7-for-10) in the fourth quarter, including five layups. The Hawks slogged through at 28 percent (9-for-32) the first three quarters.
The Hawks successfully recovered from last Friday’s surprising 68-63 loss to East Aurora that left them tied with West Aurora for first in the Upstate Eight Valley.
“It was good to just bounce back and beat a good team,” Tompson said. “Even though we didn’t play our best, it was just good to get out with a win.”
More Top Picks Best Noise Canceling Headphones For Students
Twitter @genechamberlain2