A thrilling outcome, in favor of Schaumburg
Both the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat were assured for Marlys Heisler of Warsaw, Ill., on Saturday - and it was all just a little bit too much for the mother of Schaumburg boys basketball coach Wade Heisler and Leyden coach Bill Heisler.
So, in a move of admirable neutrality, she didn't attend the game as her sons' teams met in nonconference play.
"It's too emotional for her to watch her sons go against one another," Bill said prior to tipoff.
Had she been in attendance, Marlys would've seen a tight contest that host Schaumburg pulled out 48-42.
That outcome was a double reversal of fate from the previous night, when once again there was both agony and defeat for the Heisler clan. Bill's Eagles had pulled out a 46-45 overtime victory against Downers Grove South in West Suburban Gold play, but Wade's Saxons dropped a 1-point decision in MSL West play at Hoffman Estates.
"It feels good to get a win, anytime, against anyone," Wade said of his first victory against Bill, after Schaumburg had fallen short against Leyden in two previous meetings.
"Bill does such a great job with his program," Wade added. "His team and my team were both full of fight, and it was our sense of resolution that got us firing on all cylinders in the fourth quarter which got us through."
Schaumburg (8-14) needed that resolve in order to pull away in a game that was tied at 22 at the break and saw neither team lead by more than 6 points.
It began for the Saxons as they trailed 27-22 with 4:35 left in the third quarter. Schaumburg went on a 9-0 run to take a 31-27 advantage entering the fourth.
Led by 7 of 6-foot-8 freshman Chris Hodges' game-high 19 points in the spurt, Schaumburg took the lead for good at 29-27. Hodges (9 rebounds) later scored on a putback for the Saxons' final points of the third quarter.
"I've started to gain more confidence in my game," said Hodges, who recently received his first scholarship offer from DePaul. "I'm learning to be more aggressive inside while learning to kick the ball outside if I run into double teams, also taking my time when I have the ball to be more efficient inside the lane."
The Saxons' efficiency at the foul line made the difference in the game's final period as they went 11 of 16, complemented by 3 of 6 from the field.
Chris's older brother Michael, a 6-2 junior, scored 10 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, including 8-for-10 at the foul line, to keep Leyden at bay.
Leyden (10-10) still had two chances to tie it in the final minute after the elder Hodges' 11th free throw put the Saxons ahead 45-42 with 49 seconds left. But a 3 try from Ocean Johnson hit the back of the rim, and a missed Daquan Harris layup was snared by Schaumburg senior guard Jerry Clark. He found senior Brandon Barber for the layup that effectively put the game away at 47-42 with 32 seconds left.
The younger Heisler brother, in his third season at the helm for the Saxons, feels his team needs to be focused as it plays its remaining five regular-season games, starting with a Friday trip to Fremd. The Vikings are involved a three-way tie with Palatine and Conant for second place in the division behind Barrington. Fremd lost to the Saxons last month in Schaumburg.
"These divisional games are always gonna be a fight," Wade said. "What we need to do is focus on eliminating our mistakes and play our game against a very solid and well-coached team."
Leyden returns to WSC Gold play as it hosts Proviso East on Friday night in Franklin Park.