It had been a while since Andrew’s Michael Bobber made a 3-pointer.
By his own count, at least four games.
The 6-foot-3 senior forward made up for that against Lincoln-Way Central.
Bobber buried four 3-pointers in the second half Tuesday night as the Thunderbolts rallied from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a 66-61 SouthWest Suburban Red victory in Tinley Park.
For Andrew (8-4, 6-2), the overtime win clinched the third conference championship in the program’s 44-year history.
The magnitude of that achievement wasn’t lost on Bobber.
“This means everything,” Bobber said. “I’m very proud of the guys. It’s an amazing feeling. We’re not having playoffs, so winning conference was our main goal.
“My teammates kept telling me to shoot the ball. I was bound to start making some.”
Bobber finished with 16 points, including 14 in the second half. His third 3-pointer of the fourth quarter forced a 55-55 tie with 16 seconds left in regulation.
Andrew coach Dave Wilson had a message for Bobber coming out of the first half.
“I looked him in the face and said, ‘You’re a basketball player. Shoot the ball with confidence,'” Wilson said. “He changed the whole complexion of the game.”
So did the tactical strategy of throwing a full-court pressure defense at Lincoln-Way Central (7-6, 4-3) in the second half.
It led to a bundle of turnovers, which Andrew turned into baskets.
Senior guard Nick Tingley led the Knights with 25 points and senior forward James Ogrodnik had 15.
Junior guard Elijah Laws chipped in with 12 points for Andrew, while senior guard Danny Nikolic added eight off the bench.
“They changed their defense and it rattled us,” Lincoln-Way Central coach Bob Curran said. “We threw the ball away and showed our inexperience at the guard position. We panicked. (Bobber) hit some good shots.”
So did senior guard Jolo Amoranto, especially from the free-throw line, where he made all 12 of his attempts in finishing with 18 points. He made all of those free throws during the fourth quarter and OT.
Amoranto wasn’t the least bit surprised at his success from the line.
“I’ve been doing that for years,” he said. “I never think the free throw isn’t going in. I know it’s going in every time I shoot it.”
Amoranto also wasn’t surprised by Bobber’s shooting.
“He was wide open,” Amoranto said. “I told him to keep shooting. He came through with some big shots.”
Bobber chalked up his success to confidence.
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“I didn’t change anything with my form,” he said. “I trusted myself to make the shots. Once I made that first one, I was able to get more confidence.”
Bobber’s contributions weren’t limited to the offensive end. He took a big-time charge in OT. Moments later, he knocked down a pair of free throws to give the Thunderbolts a 59-55 lead.
Andrew never looked back.
“He finds a way to succeed,” Wilson said of Bobber. “Michael’s a winner.”
He’s also a busy kid.
Bobber had little time to waste after the game, being late for football practice. And he also plays baseball.
With a 1510 SAT score and 4.8 GPA on a 4.0 scale, Bobber has no shortage of college options.
“I’ve got a big decision to make,” he said. “I have offers to play each sport from different colleges. I have to focus on choosing a school very soon.”