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Ford's buzzer-beater stuns St. Charles North

It wasn't the shot St. Charles East wanted in the final seconds Saturday night against St. Charles North, but you can bet the Saints will take it.

J.T. Ford drilled an off-balance 12-footer with no time left on the clock, giving the Saints a 46-45 victory in a game they trailed nearly the entire night.

St. Charles North (3-12, 1-7 in the Upstate Eight Conference River) had led from the 5-minute mark of the first quarter until Ford's buzzer-beater, and the North Stars were up 43-34 with just four minutes left.

But St. Charles East (11-8, 5-3) ended the game on a 12-2 run to steal the win and take their second straight Saturday night contest on the final shot after Zach Hondlik's 3 beat Waukegan a week ago.

"It didn't go as we planned, we didn't get the look we wanted, but it was in rhythm and it went in," Ford said. "Pretty lucky I guess. When I let it go I was praying it went in."

Trailing 43-34, Justin Hardy started the comeback with a basket, then Evan DiLeonardi made 2 free throws. After Griffin Hammer split a pair at the line for the North Stars, Hardy's 3-pointer brought the Saints within 44-41.

Hammer again split free throws before Ford's trey with 40 seconds to go cut the North Stars' lead to 45-44. The North Stars missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and Hammer appeared to save the day by blocking DiLeonardi's drive to the basket with 20 seconds left.

Mikey Schroeder, who led all scorers with 23 points including the North Stars' first 12 of the game, grabbed the rebound and was fouled. He too missed the front end of a 1-and-1, setting the stage for Ford's heroics.

The Saints inbounded to Hondlik who drove left and passed to Hardy who couldn't get a shot off and passed back to Ford at the top of the key. With the seconds ticking away, Ford dribbled right, momentarily stumbled and lost control, gathered the ball, and his double-clutch fadeaway hit nothing but net as the buzzer sounded, giving the Saints the win and setting off a floor storming celebration from the student section.

"They did a great job denying our play and J.T. hit a great shot," said Saints coach Patrick Woods, who welcomed senior guard James McQuillan back to the lineup after foot surgery sidelined him over a month. McQuillan played briefly in the second quarter.

"I told (North Stars) Coach (Tom) Poulin we didn't deserve to win that game. We just got lucky at the end and hit a shot and that's the reality of it."

It certainly was a bitter setback for the North Stars, who led 15-7 after one quarter thanks to Schroeder's blistering start that included three 3-point baskets. They remained in control up 27-17 at halftime as Kyle King closed the half scoring by making a backdoor cut and getting an assist from Anthony Delisi.

The Saints began to close the gap in the third quarter as Zach Mitchell scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half, pulling within 35-32. Schroeder and Jarod Karom (8 points, 4 steals) hit consecutive 3s to push the lead back to a seemingly safe 9-point margin.

It wasn't though thanks to Ford, who led the Saints with 17 points.

"I thought we did a real nice job defensively the whole game," Poulin said. "To come over here in this environment and put yourself in position to win, I'm really proud of these guys. It's a tough loss to swallow but it's one you have to keep your chin off your chest and build on it. It stings but you have to take this and use it as a positive."

St. Charles East guard James McQuillan drives while defended by St. Charles North's Anthony Delisi in the second quarter Saturday. Photo by Mary Beth Nolan
St. Charles North guard Michael Schroeder draws a double team St. Charles East's Zach Mitchell, left, and Zach Hondlik in the first quarter Saturday. Photo by Mary Beth Nolan
St. Charles North's Jarod Karom makes an acrobatic effort on a fast break in the first quarter against St. Charles East Saturday. Photo by Mary Beth Nolan
St. Charles East's Benjamin Talarczyk, top, and St. Charles North's Anthony Delisi battle for a loose ball in the first quarter Saturday. Photo by Mary Beth Nolan
St. Charles East's Benjamin Talarczyk stretches for a rebound against St. Charles North in the second quarter Saturday. Photo by Mary Beth Nolan
St. Charles North forward Jake Spaniol passes around St. Charles East defender J.T. Ford in the second quarter Saturday. Photo by Mary Beth Nolan
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