North Central was seemingly in control at the end of regulation with a 70-65 lead with 1:36 left in the game. However, Elmhurst’s Chris Martin hit two free throws followed by a pullup jumper from David Gershenzon with 30 seconds remaining that made the score 70-69. After being fouled, Ray Vicario (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) hit 1 of 2 from the free-throw line for a 71-69 advantage. Patrick Flanigan (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) then made a big block on Martin underneath and secured the rebound before being fouled with 7.9 on the clock. However, two misses at the line allowed Martin to dribble up the court and find Gershenzon for a layup with one second left. The Cardinals were unable to get off a last-second shot and the teams went into overtime tied at 71s.
In the extra session, Martin and Gershenzon hit back-to-back three-pointers for a 77-71 lead with 3:07 remaining. Vicario answered with a three of his own, but Chris Ihlenfeldt canned another from long distance for Elmhurst for an 80-74 lead. Jeff Larson (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) and Flanigan got off three-pointers on the ensuing possession but both missed, and Martin hit 1 of 2 from the charity stripe for an 81-74 lead with 32 seconds left to seal it.
Vicario finished as North Central’s leading scorer with 21 points. Mike Wilson (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) and Anthony Simmons (Bolingbrook, Ill./Romeoville) each had 12 points, and Daniel Walton (Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North) had 11. Flanigan finished with nine points and six assists.
Martin’s 28 points led all scorers. The 6-foot-5 forward also had seven rebounds and six assists and was 15 of 17 from the free-throw line. Ihlenfeldt had 22 points, including 6 of 9 from behind the arc. Gershenzon totaled 21 points (8 of 8 from the line).
In a very physical first half, North Central took an early 11-8 lead after back-to-back back-door layups. The game remained close until the Cardinals took control late in the half. Simmons converted a putback and was fouled at the 5:50 mark. He canned the free throw for a 29-24 advantage.
North Central later led 37-29 after a Walton putback and 43-34 after Wilson stroked a pull-up jumper with 43 ticks before the break. Dan Doyle (Wheaton, Ill./Glenbard West) then drained a long three-pointer at the buzzer for a 46-34 halftime lead. Doyle made a big contribution off the bench with three baskets from long-distance for nine first-half points. The three-pointer was North Central’s big weapon in the first half as the team hit 6 of 8.