advertisement

Timmerhaus, Leyden trip up Hinsdale South in OT

Leyden boys basketball coach Bill Heisler never hesitates to call on junior Justin Timmerhaus, his sixth man. Or, in some cases, his 5½ man.

"We knew from the time he was a freshman we knew we had a player," said Heisler.

Timmerhaus is deaf and wears a cochlear implant by his right ear that he covers with a skullcap to keep the area of the attachment dry.

Timmerhaus, along with Ocean Johnson, were the big men on the floor as the host Eagles beat Hinsdale South 60-56 in overtime for the first time in the last two years at the West Leyden Field House Friday night.

"We haven't been able to beat them but they've had some big-time players playing for them," said Heisler of the Hornets.

Leyden, now with a modest three-game winning streak, improved to 8-6 and 2-1 in the West Suburban Gold. The Hornets dropped to 6-9 and 0-4.

Johnson, who is closing in on 1,000 points with 988 currently, scored 24 points and had 5 rebounds to lead the Eagles. Timmerhaus scored 11 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter and overtime.

"He's normally not a 3-point shooter," Heisler said of Timmerhaus, " but tonight he hit a real big one for us."

Hinsdale South had just taken a 53-51 lead in the overtime with just over two minutes remaining. Timmerhaus' 3-pointer basket with 1:53 left in the game gave Leyden the lead for good at 54-53.

David Duwal (8 points) scored with 1:15 for some breathing room at 56-53. Jason Williams pulled Hinsdale South to within 56-55 with a basket with 40 seconds left.

Timmerhaus then hit both ends of a one-and-bonus free throw with 22 seconds left for a 58-55 lead. Johnson put the finishing touch on with 2 free throws.

"For me it's heart over height," said Timmerhaus, a 6-foot junior. "I take pride in my sixth-man role. When I come on the floor I want to bring the energy that my team needs. I put in a lot of preparation to be ready. Tonight my team needed points so I decided to step it up."

Trailing 41-32 early in the fourth quarter the Eagles picked up the pace.

Timmerhaus hit 2 free throws to get things going. Kyler Britten came up with a steal and score. Johnson scored back-to-back buckets on an assist from Britten and then a steal to pull the Eagles within 41-40 with 3:29 left.

Johnson converted a three-point play with 1:33 left in regulation to force overtime at 47.

The Hornets' 6-foot-7 junior Aaron Tim was steady all night with 20 points and 8 rebounds to keep Hinsdale South in the game.

"Ocean showed up and made a lot of big plays for us, " said Heisler. "He shows up every game and plays hard. Justin has such great energy when he comes off the bench. He loves basketball and is always working to make himself a better player. His hustle plays tonight got us back in he game."

  Leyden's Ocean Johnson (10) defends against Hinsdale South's James Ruzicka during their game at West Leyden High School in Northlake Friday. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Leyden's David Duwal (24) shoots over Hinsdale South's Aaron Tims during their game at West Leyden High School in Northlake Friday. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Hinsdale South's Jason Williams, blocks the shot of Leyden's DaQuan Harris (5) during their game at West Leyden High School in Northlake Friday. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Leyden's DaQuan Harris, left, shoots over Hinsdale South's Lukas Rainys during their game at West Leyden High School in Northlake Friday. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Leyden's Ocean Johnson, left, passes around Hinsdale South's Patrick Savage during their game at West Leyden High School in Northlake Friday. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Leyden's DaQuan Harris (5) defends against Hinsdale South's Lukas Rainys during their game at West Leyden High School in Northlake Friday. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Leyden's JaQuat Hardimon, left, and Hinsdale South's Patrick Savage battle for a rebound during their game at West Leyden High School in Northlake Friday. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.