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Johnson, Naperville North beat Hinsdale Central in second OT

The season is barely one day old, and already the Naperville North boys basketball team has a signature win.

Sophomore forward Grant Johnson hit a clutch 3-pointer with seven seconds left in the first overtime to tie Hinsdale Central, and then he and his teammates ran the table in the second to escape with a 64-54 victory in the opening round of the Hoops 4 Healing tournament.

Coming out of a timeout down 54-51, Johnson got open on the left arc and hit nothing but the bottom of the net to tie the game, causing the home fans to erupt.

"We were running our motion offense, and I had the open look," a beaming Johnson said postgame. "I had my teammate calling for it, because we usually go extra pass. I saw their teammate closing out the corner, so I knew I had to take the shot because it was wide open."

But Johnson realized there wasn't time to celebrate.

"I was kind of confused, because I was like, Why is everyone cheering so loud? We only tied it," he said. "We've got to get back on defense."

The Huskies didn't allow Hinsdale Central to get off a game-winner, and then in the second OT, the teams danced around the ring for nearly three minutes before a layup by junior guard Riley Thompson with 1:34 left broke the tie. On the Red Devils' ensuing possession Naperville North got a steal that led to another layup that advanced the score to 58-54.

Tom Welch scored 6 of his game-high 35 points to seal the victory. Welch played all 40 minutes, shot 13 for 17 from the field and grabbed 13 rebounds, 4 offensive.

But that shot by Johnson? Well, it was pretty special, said the senior Loyola commit.

"It was pure joy, being a little kid," Welch said. "Just like March Madness, when Loyola hit that buzzer-beater, you just want to run and scream. But you have to get back on defense and hope they don't do the same."

With a 13-2 third-quarter spurt it looked like the Huskies would be in good shape, up 35-30 entering the fourth. But Hinsdale Central senior guard Matt Rush took over late, personally putting together a 10-3 run to close out regulation, including a pair of 3-pointers from the top of the key.

His junior teammate, Ryan Isaacson, went to work in the first overtime period with a layup and a 3 of his own. But Welch hit a layup off an offensive rebound with 1:34. After an empty Hinsdale Central possession new Naperville North coach Gene Nolan called a timeout that set up Johnson's shot.

"We got a paint touch on a drive, and that drew some help, and Grant was open, and I'm just really proud of him," Nolan said. "A great kid and a great shot."

It was a tough-luck finish for Rush, who led the Red Devils with 22 and added 4 rebounds.

"I thought we showed a lot of determination and we played hard for 40 minutes, which is obviously eight minutes longer than a normal game," he said. "They had some shots fall down that we didn't."

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