Naperville North’s Jack Hill finally shook free from Wheaton Warrenville South’s Jake Healy. Hill wanted one thing Wednesday night, and he found it.
Breathing room.
The senior guard converted a 4-point play from the wing with 1:33 left in second overtime to send the Huskies to a 37-35 DuPage Valley Conference victory.
“We didn’t have much offense going into that play, but we moved the ball pretty well,” Hill said. “Tom (Welch) got me open and I just let it fly. I saw an opening and just let it fly and it goes in.”
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Hill was the only player on either team to make a basket in OT, finishing with 11 points as the Huskies (24-2, 15-1) clinched their third outright conference title since 2012. It was their ninth straight victory.
“I’m always confident in my shot,” Hill said. “I shoot plenty of shots every day, so I just know I’m going to step up big for my team. I love these dudes, so I have to hit that shot for them.”
Hill also had help. Senior forward Chris Johnson led with 15 points and Welch, a junior guard/forward, added nine. Johnson scored 10 points in the third quarter as the lead changes mounted.
“It’s very mentally tiring because you’re playing so much defense,” Hill said. “It’s kind of hard to keep focused. Offensively, it’s hard because you want to rush something.
“You want to get a shot up, but you have to play more focused and patient on offense so you get a better shot.”
In the second half and the two overtimes, there were three ties while the lead switched 13 times.
“We knew if I had any time to dribble, it had to be quick,” Johnson said. “So it’s all about getting shots up quick and my teammates found me. We saw the inside-out, especially with that last three with Jack.”
Wheaton South (22-6, 13-3) received a team-high 10 points from senior guard Parker Robinson while three other players had seven points apiece.
Free throws proved to be troublesome in the waning moments. The Tigers ended by missing four of their last six free throws.
Given a final opportunity to tie the game with 4.3 seconds left in the second OT, Wheaton South couldn’t get a shot off.
Blake Baumgartner is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun