Two years ago, Grant finished with a 3-26 record. Ben Kusiak, Logan Lewis and Andy Kaye were elevated to the varsity as sophomores for that season.
The Bulldogs’ remarkable turnaround will continue at 7 p.m. Tuesday against Fremd in the Class 4A Arlington Heights Sectional semifinals at Robert Morris University.
Senior leadership from Kusiak and Co. was key Friday night as fifth-seeded Grant won its first regional title since 1989 with a 51-47 victory over fourth-seeded host Lake Zurich.
“Our senior class has great chemistry and we have been preparing for this year,” Kusiak said.
John Kerr, a 6-foot-5 forward, and Kusiak, a 6-1 guard, have a special rapport among those seniors. They play off the energy and momentum each other creates.
It showed as Kerr helped preserve a two-point lead for Grant (21-8) against Lake Zurich. Moments after making the defensive play of the game by blocking a shot, Kerr offered Kusiak words of encouragement.
Kusiak then stepped to the free-throw line and converted both crucial attempts with 20 seconds remaining.
“He just told me to step up and knock them down,” Kusiak said.
Kusiak scored eight of his 13 points in the second half. Kerr finished with a double-double, contributing 10 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots.
“Those free throws are what you dream about when you are practicing them,” Kusiak said.
Undefeated Fremd, the top seed, is next up for Grant. The Bulldogs have grown from the experience of going 3-26 in 2014-15, learning how to deal with the elevated intensity and skill level.
In the third and fourth quarters against Lake Zurich, Grant delivered game-changing bursts after taking a 26-24 lead at halftime. Kusiak’s strong drive ignited an 11-3 spurt in the third.
Junior guard Mike Huff, who finished with 13 points, also nailed a 3-pointer in that stretch. Kerr scored twice on power post moves.
Although Kerr sat out five minutes of the second quarter with foul trouble, he never waved with his aggressiveness.
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“We had some big key stops on defense and executed on offense,” Kerr said. “We kept stepping up on defense and not letting them get anything easy on defense.”
Senior guard Michael Bens led Lake Zurich (19-12) with 17 points. He orchestrated the Bears’ comeback with three 3-pointers in the third quarter to erase a 37-27 deficit.
Junior guard Peter DiCerbo added 12 points and seven rebounds for Lake Zurich. Junior guard Ryan Kutsor had 10 points and six rebounds.
Two 3-pointers by Huff and Kyle Dupree, however, sent Grant ahead 47-37 with 4:31 left. A 3-pointer by Kustor and a three-point play by reserve guard Kenny Haynes pulled the Bears within 49-47.
Kerr and Kusiak took control from there.
“They got some momentum and hit some shots,” Kutsor said. “They just ended up making a few more plays than we did.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance writer for the News-Sun.