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Boys Basketball: Niles West snaps 10-game slide, beats Maine South
Updated: January 28, 2012 12:24AM
When Niles West saw an eight-point second-half lead evaporate in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter against Maine South Friday night, it would have been understandable if the Wolves let the game slip away.
They were winless in the Central Suburban South and on a 10-game losing streak. Instead of folding, though, Niles West hit two huge three-pointers in the last two minutes and earned a 49-43 victory in Park Ridge.
“What I am happy about is that we have been working hard all year, and our kids have persevered,” said Niles West coach Bob Williams. “We learned to value every possession, that was the key. Maine South made a run and we could have folded, and we did not.”
Maine South (13-10, 3-4) took a 3-2 lead in the opening minutes of the game, but fell behind and were down 32-24 midway through the third quarter. The Hawks continued to battle, though, and forced a 41-41 deadlock with just over two minutes left when Frank Dounis converted one of two free throw attempts.
Cory Dolins and sophomore Ahmad Gibson each buried three-pointers in between a basket by Maine South’s John Solari, and the Wolves (3-13, 1-6) never trailed again. Joe Younan converted two free throws in the final seconds to ice the victory.
“We have been through this before, we had nothing to lose,” Dolins said. “So we just gave it our all and played our hearts out.”
Younan had 11 of his 13 points in the first half, including two three-pointers, while Gibson responded with 11 of his 15 tallies after the intermission. Seniors DJ Harris and Alek each finished with six points.
Niles West took control early, limiting Maine South to just seven points in the first quarter. The Wolves continued to maintain a lead throughout the second quarter, forcing the Hawks into 10 turnovers before taking a 25-17 lead at the intermission.
Solari was dominant in the paint, finishing with a game-high 25 points, while also grabbing nine rebounds. Senior guard Nick Calabrese led the third quarter comeback for Maine South, collecting eight of his 10 tallies in the third stanza.
“We put ourselves in a big hole in the first half, I thought we were very passive,” said Hawks coach Tony Lavarato. “For as bad as we played in the first half, we played pretty darn good in the second half.”
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