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Vernon Hills hangs on against Grant

The postgame celebration on the court, which included flying body bumps and lots of shouting, was understandable, even for a team stuck in the middle of a division race.

Vernon Hills knows, miracle aside, it won't repeat as North Suburban Prairie Division champs. But playing with ample motivation Tuesday night, the Cougars captured one of their most exciting wins of the season. They avenged a last-second loss from earlier in the season by holding off visiting Grant 49-45.

It was the first loss in the division for Grant (12-10, 7-1).

"It was riveting," senior guard Jay Holloway said after coming off the bench to lead Vernon Hills (12-13, 5-5) with 14 points while adding 5 rebounds. "It was really exciting to get that win."

Unlike on Dec. 3, when Vernon Hills squandered a 9-point lead in the fourth-quarter, surrendering the game's final 11 points, the Cougars didn't suffer a meltdown down the stretch.

"We weren't going to let that happen," guard Michael Dougherty, nursing an achy calf and scratch around his left eye, said after scoring 9 points and hustling for 5 rebounds. "Our team was not ready to lose. After all the work we put in, we were not losing this game."

Up 41-34 after three, Vernon Hills saw Grant pull within 45-44 when John Kerr (9 points, 14 rebounds) scored with 3:04 left. But Dougherty sank 4 of 4 free throws down the stretch, while the Cougars tightened up defensively.

Last season, led by five senior starters, Vernon Hills went 12-0 in the NSC Prairie. This season's team was well aware that Grant entered the game undefeated in division.

"The boys were talking about it," Cougars coach Matt McCarty said. "They wanted to be able to text last year's group and say, 'No one's going to be undefeated this year.' "

Big Eric Weiler played a huge part in the Cougars' win. The 6-foot-7 center contributed 8 points, 7 rebounds and 5 blocked shots.

"His defense is greatly appreciated," Holloway, who shot 7 of 12 from the floor, said with a smile.

"I thought Eric played one of his better games of the year, and Jay certainly played his best game of the year," McCarty said.

Conscious of its poor starts in many games this season, Vernon Hills hit its first 5 shots to open a 13-2 advantage. The Cougars led 15-7 after one quarter, with guard Andrew Daguinsin scoring all 7 of his points, including a 3-pointer. The home team was up 28-25 at halftime and never trailed, despite Grant tying the score a couple of times early in the third quarter.

"We came out firing," Dougherty said. "Coach was telling us all day, all week, that we got to come out strong at the start. We've come out lackadaisical a lot of times this season. It was just a revenge game."

Grant's Nick Kouvelis came off the bench to lead all scorers with a season-high 16 points. Grant's Andy Kaye, who sank the winning shot in the teams' first meeting, sat out with a concussion.

Vernon Hills' Jake Helfand, who was coming off a 25-point effort against Round Lake, scored just 3 points, but his 3-pointer was huge. It extended the Cougars' lead to 45-38 with 4:46 left in the fourth. The Cougars also got 5 rebounds, 4 points, 2 steals and a blocked shot from Jack O'Connell.

"I think the key was how we played together, especially on defense," Holloway said. "We were making sure we got rebounds, we all boxed out as a team, and we played defense as a team."

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