This wasn’t a first-time thing for Homewood-Flossmoor’s Dominic Pangallo.
The senior guard came off the bench and delivered a 3-point barrage Thursday night, including four from long range in a three-minute stretch of the second quarter.
“I’ve done it before,” he said. “But it wasn’t on a stage where you all noticed it.”
It was even more noticeable in the fourth quarter.
The 6-foot-4 Pangallo hit another clutch 3-pointer and finished with 15 points as the Vikings beat Lincoln-Way East 77-72 in a SouthWest Suburban Blue game in Flossmoor.
Gianni Cobb led the H-F (7-1, 2-0) with 24 points, while Jayden Tyler added 14 points and Carson Brownfield had 12 points to go with nine rebounds, two blocked shots and a steal.
Sophomore guard Karson Thomas paced the Griffins (5-1, 1-1) with 26 points. Brenden Sanders scored 19 points and BJ Powell had 13. Jaylin White grabbed eight rebounds.
Pangallo’s heroics in the second quarter while Cobb was on the bench taking a breather helped the Vikings post a double-digit lead, which they held for a 40-28 halftime lead.
“I knew he was knocking down his shots,” Cobb said. “So, I was just out there cheering him on from the bench. When he’s on, he’s the best shooter in the state.”
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Pangallo confirmed he was in a zone.
“It was just taking the confident shots, my teammates trusted me, and I was knocking them down,” he said. “You have to find that rhythm — set your feet and shoot.”
A couple of the successful shots came inches away from the student cheering section.
“That was fun,” Pangallo said. “I was trying to enjoy the moment and still stay locked in during the game.”
He did miss a pair of 3-point attempts that went in and out but both appeared on target.
The Vikings led by 20 with 4:25 left in the third quarter, but the Griffins got within five with 1:02 left in the third and to within four with 5:30 left in the fourth. H-F, however, held on.
After losing 77-47 at the hands of nationally ranked Gonzaga in the Chicago Elite Classic, the last thing the Vikings wanted was to let this game slip away after piling up a 20-point lead.
“I thought the second half we lost sight of our defense,” H-F coach Jamere Dismukes said. “That’s when they went on a tear — especially the young kid on their team (Thomas).
“But it this point in time, it was important to just focus in getting a win. We knew how good Gonzaga was, but it was still hard to lose like that and we needed this one.”
Dismukes was pleased that Pangallo could provide the huge spark in the first half against the Griffins.
Pangallo, who is getting NCAA Division III and junior college looks, dropped down the depth chart when talented players such as Cobb and Bryce Heard transferred in and changed the dynamic of the team.
“He has a big season last year where he averaged nine or 10 points a game,” Dismukes said of Pangallo. “His role is a little smaller this year because we have gotten better, but we still use him for what he is capable of and that’s playing defense, rebounding and making threes.”
And that’s something he know how to do.
“It’s been the strongest part of my game since I was little,” Pangallo said. “I’ve always been able to shoot. My sophomore year, I was on the JV team and my role was to be a shooter. My junior year, (Dismukes) noticed I could shoot and he put all his trust in me.
“That carried over to this year.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.