Downers Grove North advances past Metea Valley

New Downers Grove North boys basketball player Collin Reed has brought a big defensive outlook with him.

"I just try to do whatever I can to help us get as many stops as possible to help us win the game," said Reed, a senior transfer from Plainfield East. "It's definitely a big change (transferring), but I think in the long run it's going to help me develop my game and make me a better person on and off the court."

On Friday Reed not only contributed one of the biggest steals but a team-best 18 points as the Trojans edged Metea Valley 54-51 to advance to the championship game of the Wheaton Academy Thanksgiving Tournament.

Downers North (3-0) will seek its third straight tournament title at 8 p.m. Saturday against Lake Park (2-1), which won its pool in a three-way tiebreaker over Bartlett and Wheaton Academy based on point differential. Metea (2-1) plays Bartlett (2-1) for third at 6:15 p.m.

Senior guards Semaj Henderson and Trey Boston have been a part of the Trojans' past two championship lineups,

Boston hit two free throws with 2.6 seconds left for the game's final points Friday after missing a one-and-bonus attempt with 16.7 seconds but then making a big steal.

Boston had 16 points and 6 rebounds, Henderson had 10 points and Sean May 7 rebounds. Reed and Henderson each had two 3s.

This season's success is coming despite probable starters Connor Ilyavi and Scott Jakobsze now injured.

"Of course, you always want a competitive game. This really tested us. We needed that," Boston said. "I'd like to see how we'd play with all of our players back. But that's making everybody else better because the people down the line have to play."

Metea senior Ethan Helwig had 22 points with four 3s and reserve Myles Leavy had 11 points with three 3s. Manny Hess added 8 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists and reserve Tahj Morgan had 8 points on 4 first-half inside buckets.

Metea led 43-42 entering the fourth quarter after an 11-piont third quarter from Helwig that included three 3s.

The Mustangs led 17-9 after one quarter and by 11 points with a Leavy 3 to open the second quarter. The Trojans outscored Metea by the same margin in the period for a 26-26 halftime tie.

"Both teams were resilient. Both teams kept coming after one another," Downers North coach Jim Thomas said. "The teams were kind of making some early-season turnovers and mistakes that the other team capitalized on and it went down the wire. I'm glad to see we came out on the right side."

Henderson's reverse layup with 1:20 left gave the Trojans the lead for good at 52-51 after Helwig put the Mustangs up 1 twice in the final four minutes on a backdoor pass from Hess and a driving layup.

After Henderson's basket Reed stole the ball at half-court, but Boston missed the one-and-bonus free throw. When the Mustangs tried the backdoor play to Helwig again, Boston intercepted the pass, was fouled and sank both free throws. The Mustangs' inbounds pass for a game-tying 3 went out of bounds, and the Trojans ran out the clock.

"They made a run early. We just didn't give up, didn't put our head down," Reed said. "Basketball is a game of runs. They had theirs. We just had to make ours better."

Especially later in the game, Reed was used to defend Helwig, along with Kobe Reed, his sophomore brother.

"(Collin) can turn you really quick. He's got really long arms and he's deceptively strong," Thomas said.

"That's the lift we needed. I'm glad we got him over here," Boston added. "He takes so much pressure off everybody because he's going to guard. He doesn't really care about scoring. If he locks up his man, he's fine with that."

Thomas also is fine with Wheaton Academy's tournament format, which also includes games on the sophomore and freshman levels. This is the second straight tournament appearance for Metea, which finished fifth in 2018.

"The end of that game is the perfect example why we love it here, outside of the people that always treat us well," Thomas said. "People pile into the gym. It's a Cracker Jack box. It fills up and it's a great atmosphere. It's like a jammed house rocking and for all of the marbles so we love it."

Wheaton Academy (2-1) and Streamwood (2-1) play for fifth at 4:30 p.m. St. Francis (0-3) and St. Francis de Sales (0-3) play at 2:45 p.m. for seventh.