Boys Basketball: Marist tops Hyde Park in overtime
By Bill Harrison For Sun-Times Media February 26, 2013 9:34PM
Updated: February 26, 2013 10:12PM
The play call for Marist with 4.2 seconds left in overtime in Tuesday night’s game against Hyde Park in a Class 4A Mount Carmel Regional semifinal was called “Deep Wizard” according to RedHawks coach Gene Nolan.
It was designed to give L.J. McIntosh a backdoor pass and a direct line to the hoop. Waiting for McIntosh was the Thunderbirds’ 6-foot-6 Tory Mason, who already had six blocked shots.
McIntosh took the pass and fearlessly dribbled into Mason, using his body to create space, then pumped in the layup at the buzzer for a 62-60 Marist win. They RedHawks will meet Simeon on Friday night for the regional championship.
“It was a play for me; I just tried to cut as hard as I could,” said McIntosh, who finished with a game-high 23 points. “I knew if I didn’t cut hard our season could be over.”
The season appeared to be close to being over for the RedHawks (18-10) with a little over two minutes left when a basket by Mason (20 points) gave the Thunderbirds (19-8) a 50-47 lead.
A basket by Lexus Williams (19 points), who was helped off the court just minutes earlier in what appeared to be an ankle injury, and a three by McIntosh gave Marist a 52-50 edge with 59 seconds left.
A rebound and a basket with 22.3 seconds left by the Thunderbirds’ Joshua Kirkendoll tied the game and sent it into overtime.
The Thunderbirds played the second half without Moshawn Thomas, who had nine points but had to be helped off the court because of a leg injury.
“I’m just really proud of our guys,” said Nolan, whose team trailed 23-11 after a quarter and 46-36 early in the third. “We kept coming back.”
