Foster's 3-pointer a game-winner for Glenbard West
Last possession wins a game like this, right?
Not this time.
A whirlwind final two minutes ended with Glenbard West holding on for Saturday's 52-49 nonconference boys basketball victory over Wheaton North in Glen Ellyn.
Hilltoppers senior Griffin Foster knocked down a go-ahead 3-pointer - the fourth lead change in the span of about a minute - to put his team ahead 51-49 with 13 seconds left. A Wheaton North miss led to an Evan Taylor free throw and a 52-49 advantage, and then the Falcons missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the roller-coaster ride.
"That was a crazy last couple minutes, just back and forth with the lead changes," Foster said. "It's almost hard to keep track of the score at some points. I've had a couple of big shots like that, against Lyons and Glenbard East, so I'm used to it. It felt really good."
Glenbard West (17-6) took a 45-36 lead on a Corey Williams free throw with 4:51 left, but the Falcons (15-9) stormed back with 10 straight points, capped by a Deng Reng bucket, to claim a 46-45 lead with 1:47 left.
That's when things got crazy.
Carter Lindstrom hit a 3 to put the Hilltoppers back on top 48-46, but Matthew Brend answered with a 3 to surge Wheaton North to a 49-48 advantage. A missed free throw by the Falcons led to Foster's decisive shot.
"We've got to find a way to make that one or two plays to get over the top," said Falcons coach Dave Brackmann. "We've lost too many games like that this year. Credit to them, their kid made a big shot. But we need to find a way."
Glenbard West led the bulk of the game after bursting ahead 17-8. A 27-26 deficit turned into a 36-30 lead for the Hilltoppers heading to the fourth quarter.
Taylor, who had 9 rebounds, and Lindstrom scored 15 points, while Caden Phillips had 13 points and 6 boards for the Hilltoppers. Reng led Wheaton North with 15 points and 6 rebounds. Jacob Schauer and Garrett Horner each scored 11.
"That was a flurry of action," said Glenbard West coach Tim Hoder. "We knew how dangerous they were and how quickly they could score. At no point did we feel like we had the game in hand. I was just proud of our kids for closing it out."
Twitter: @kevin_schmit