Waukegan tops Deerfield in overtime classic

Warriors rally from 14 down, force OT on Dukan's three-pointer

Fans from both Deerfield and Waukegan came out to see two of the top boys basketball teams in the Central Suburban League battle it out Wednesday in what many considered to be the conference championship. What they got was a classic that should go down as the CSL’s game of the year.

Waukegan (21-4), which won the CSL South, held off an inspired rally from CSL North co-champion Deerfield (23-3) to win 93-87 in overtime before a huge crowd in Deerfield.

Waukegan took Deerfield’s best shot as the Warriors came from 14 down with 4 minutes, 18 seconds to play to send the game into OT.

“This was a very intense and exciting game,” Waukegan’s Jereme Richmond said. “As well as we were playing, we expected them to come back and make a game out of it. And this is why you play. We want to play against this type of competition.”

The momentum had seemed to completely swing Deerfield’s way when Duje Dukan hit a double clutch three-pointer at the buzzer to knot things up at 73-73 and send the game into OT.

But the Bulldogs did not let the comeback faze them and scored the first six points in overtime on a layup from Aaron Johnson and four straight points from Mike Springs off of back-to-back steals to regain the lead at 79-75.

“I think how we regained the lead, and in the end won, was the small things,” Waukegan coach Ron Ashlaw said. “We were more effective with our pressure throughout most of the game and that led to steals and some transition baskets for us.”

Deerfield kept hanging around, getting a layup from Oren Schwartz and a three-point play from Max Burgess in between a Johnson layup to stay within 81-78. But then Richmond made things happen by scoring five straight points, two from the line and then a three-point play to extend the gap to 86-78 with 1:17 remaining. Richmond scored 12 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and overtime.

“I think we got too complacent towards the end of the fourth,” Richmond said. “We got more serious in overtime. We wanted to come out and make a statement.”

Deerfield still kept battling, getting a three from Schwartz, a layup from Adam Rhum and split from the line by Ryan Davis in between a layup by Johnson and a split from Richmond to make it 89-84.

 In the end, the deficit was just too big and there was not enough time as Mike Springs hit four straight from the line. A Davis three in between the attempts with 18 seconds left was Deerfield’s last-ditch effort to hang around, making the lead 91-87.

“This was a really good win for us,” Ashlaw said. “Being tested is probably one of the better things that could happen to this team. This is the type of game we want to play in and this is the type of team we want to face.”

It didn’t appear that they were going to be tested though, as the Bulldogs just dominated throughout the first three-and-a-half quarters. But with 4:18 left and trailing 69-55, Deerfield’s comeback began.

Max Burgess got things started with a three as he scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half and overtime. Davis knocked down a pair from the line, and after a turnaround jumper by Richmond made the lead 71-60 with 2:51 to play, Deerfield’s urgency really kicked in.

The Warriors scored 10 straight points on two layups and a pair from the line from Davis, who had 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, a jumper from Burgess and a layup from Schwartz, cutting the gap to just 71-70. But the biggest key was that the Warriors forced the Bulldogs into four straight turnovers, keeping them scoreless for two and a half minutes.

“We really stepped up our defense in those last minutes of regulation,” Deerfield coach Bret Just said. “We kept scrapping and scrapping and there was just no quit in our guys tonight. We kept fighting and it was a special thing to watch.”

Still, with 20.3 seconds left, Deerfield was forced to foul and send Waukegan to the line. But Quan Connor and Johnson opened the door as they both split a pair. Off of Johnson’s miss, Dukan grabbed the rebound, took the ball up the court and with a double-clutch motion buried a three to tie the game up.

“It was pandemonium when Duje hit that shot,” Just said. “But he’s a big-time player and he’s confident enough to take a shot like that. It helped that he got the rebound off the miss so he could take the ball up the floor.”

Deerfield had its most balanced scoring of the season, although it hardly started out that way. Besides Burgess and Davis, Schwartz, who struggled to find his shot in the first half but helped fuel the comeback by 16 of his 20 points in the second half and overtime.

“This was one of the best games I’ve ever played in,” Schwartz said. “I was glad I was able to contribute because I’ve been struggling with my shot the last couple of games. But I took my time and waited for the best shot. Once I hit the first one, I really got going.”

“Oren has been an X-factor for us all season,” Just said. “He put up some big numbers tonight. I think sometimes we believe he can make some big plays more than he believes it. But he got some confidence back tonight.”

For the first three quarters, Waukegan’s pressure  completely prevented Deerfield from even getting the looks that they wanted as the Bulldogs had as big as a 41-23 first-half lead. Quan Connor’s hot shooting also contributed to that lead as he scored 25 of his game-high 28 points in the first three quarters, connecting on five threes in the game.

“My shot was on tonight,” Connor said. “That was a big key for us. And as well as we were playing, we knew they were going to fight back. They’re a good team, and this was big game for them. Give them credit for coming back.”

Deerfield’s primary source of offense in the first half came from Adam Rhum, who scored 17 of his 19 points in the first half and had 17 of Deerfield’s 27 first-half points.

“I just came out ready to shoot,” Rhum said. “I felt it in warmups and they were leaving me open. It was something we needed with Duje not scoring as consistently as he usually does.”

Dukan finished with 15 points. Waukegan also got 14 each from Johnson, Akeem Springs and Mike Springs.

One thing is for sure: This would be a much anticipated playoff rematch if it occurs. Waukegan and Deerfield are the top two seeds in the Waukegan Sectional. The Bulldogs also beat visiting Deerfield 57-47 in December.

“This was a heck of a ballgame and I would love to see them again in the sectional final,” Ashlaw said. “They’re a well-disciplined, well-coached team and it’s not a coincidence that they have only lost three games or were able to come back in this game.”

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