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Glenbard North shoots into sectional final

Glenbard North's boys basketball team answered a gut shot with a dagger.

After Proviso East's Kalin Fisher knocked down his eighth 3-pointer with 18 seconds left to tie the game, Jeremiah Fleming's running 3-pointer put the Panthers ahead to stay at 77-74.

The Pirates called timeout with 2.4 seconds left, but Glenbard North's Chip Flanigan stripped the ball from Fisher as he went up for another game-tying 3-pointer.

The manic final half minute resulted in Glenbard North's 77-74 victory over Proviso East in Wednesday's Class 4A Bartlett sectional semifinals.

The sixth-seeded Panthers (23-5) vie for the program's first sectional title since 2002 when they face No. 4 Morton (22-5) in Friday's final.

“When that guy hit that big 3 to tie the game, I was calm,” said Fleming, who hit five 3-pointers while scoring 16 points. “I know Chip is always looking for me. He got the ball, took a few dribbles, gave it right back to me. I caught it and shot it.”

The Panthers showed poise throughout a crazy night trying to upset the second-seeded Pirates (23-7). Glenbard North broke out to a 30-20 lead at the end of a back-and-forth first quarter as the Panthers eventually put all five starters in double-digit scoring.

It was barely enough against Proviso East and an amazing effort from Kalin Fisher, whose clutch 3-pointer gave him a game-high 40 points.

“Kalin Fisher played an unbelievable game, hit an unbelievable shot,” said Proviso East coach Donnie Boyce. “To be quite honest, they deserved the win. The way they played that first quarter, I thought that set the tone. They had us on our heels.”

The points — and fouls — came fast and furious. Justin Jackson scored 8 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter, but he fouled out after Fleming's game-winning 3-pointer when he fouled Fisher before he could get off a shot attempt.

Fisher and Jevon Carter, who scored 15 points, each finished the game with four fouls. So did Flanigan, who scored 18.

“We kind of like to live in that manic type of game,” Jackson said. “Overall I think we handled it pretty well.”

Glenbard North is hoping not to be short-handed in Friday's final. The Panthers were without key reserve Eric Jones because of an ankle injury, and then Pasquale Fiduccia, who scored 15 points, went down late with a shoulder injury but came back for the final minutes.

Glenbard North led 70-63 with 1:58 left, but Proviso East forced a flurry of turnovers to claw back. The Panthers did themselves no favors by going 13 of 28 from the free-throw line.

All that mattered, though, was the result.

“Jeremiah just hits a big clutch shot right there,” said Panthers coach Joe Larson. “When he's feeling it, that's almost like a layup for him. It was a big-time shot, no question about it.”

Follow Kevin on Twitter @kevin_schmit

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