O'Connor's free throw lifts Warren past Zion-Benton in OT
He was as cool as the other side of the pillow.
It was a different story on the inside, however.
With the score deadlocked at 52-52 with 3 seconds left in overtime, Warren junior forward Declan O'Connor was fouled and missed the first of 2 free throws.
"I was so nervous," said O'Connor, who more than atoned for his miss by making the second foul shot to give the Blue Devils a thrilling 53-52 victory over Zion-Benton in North Suburban Lake play Wednesday evening in Gurnee.
"After I missed the first, I was freaking out because I knew how big the second free throw was going to be. I just took an extra deep breath and it worked."
It must be late January, because every possession in North Suburban Lake play is crucial. And oh, by the way, this is Warren and Zion-Benton, so basketball fans know they're already going to be in for a treat whenever these two get together.
The Zee-Bees and senior forward Kienan Baltimore had their way in the paint as they shot out to a 28-23 halftime lead.
Baltimore was deadly inside, scoring 15 of his team and game-high 27 points in the first half.
But Warren, which has been playing much better as of late after a rough start, stayed patient.
"Patience was big for us in the second half," said Warren coach Jon Jasnoch, whose team has now won 5 in a row and improved to 9-11 overall and 4-3 in the Lake Division. "We lost some of the close games early in the season but we're learning how to win those now. We took a lot of perimeter shots in the first half, but we were more patient and waiting for a seam in the second half."
Warren inched its way back into the game in the third quarter and actually grabbed its first lead since early in the game when senior guard Maurice Chambers (8 points) converted a layup to give the Devils the lead at 35-34 with just under a minute left in the period.
The teams traded lead changes three times in the last minute, with Zion holding a 38-37 lead heading to the fourth.
But Warren went on a little 5-0 spree to open the fourth and looked like it might pull away after junior guard Jayson Dorsey nailed a 3 to give the hosts the lead at 42-39 with 6:40 left in the game.
Baltimore helped keep Zion in it by making 4 of 6 free throws in the period, including a 1-for-2 effort with 1:28 left that tied it at 46-46 and eventually send things to the extra session.
Warren did have a last chance to win it in regulation but with 4 seconds left couldn't get a shot off in time.
In overtime, a crucial turnover at Zion's end of the floor enabled Warren to grab the lead at 52-50 after a rebound and layup by senior forward Zack Pilcher with 50 seconds left.
But Baltimore and the Bees were there to counter once again after 2 foul shots evened things up at 52-all before the heroics by O'Connor.
With everyone in the gym holding their collective breaths, Zion senior guard DeShawn Wilson's three-quarters-court heave just missed after ricocheting off of the backboard.
O'Connor finished with 13 points, while the Devils also got double-digit scoring from junior guard Juwan Perry, who chipped in with 10.
"Both teams played hard but we made the mistakes and didn't take care of what we needed to take care of," said Zee-Bees coach Bob Worthington, whose team slipped to 16-8 overall and 4-3 in the Lake.