Howard's powerful dunk propels Foreman

Dunking has a pretty bad reputation in basketball these days. Many blame the dunk for the deterioration of shooting skills and the trend toward selfish play.

But Sunday in the Public League playoff quarterfinals at the UIC Pavilion, Foreman senior Willie Howard’s powerful jam with five minutes to play showed just what a mind-blowing dunk can do to motivate a team.

The Hornets were trailing by five when Howard ripped through Curie’s baseline defense and slammed it home. It ignited a run that propelled Foreman to a 65-61 comeback win over the Condors.

“When Willie through down that dunk it was over,” Foreman coach Terry Head said. “I knew that our guys were gonna put it away after that.”

That’s just what the Hornets (19-5) did with a 13-2 run.

“We knew we had a run in us,” Foreman junior Mike McCall said. “We were just waiting for it to come.”

Howard finished with 14 points and nine rebounds. McCall led Foreman with 17 points and Lavonte Dority added 15. Kevin Baston scored six and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Sophomore guard Asante Smiter was sensational for Curie. He scored 22 points, shooting 6 of 9 from three-point range.

Senior Jeremy Price added 15 points and junior Dennis Hodges scored eight and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Condors (18-8).