Patriots Make Comeback; Lose in Overtime

Just say there was one of those high school video players around. What would it show? Did Ryan Chapman's heroic put-back actually beat the buzzer ending the game?

"I'm not sure,'' said boys basketball coach Pat Ambrose.

It might also be wise to ask why was Stevenson playing in overtime anyway on Saturday night in Lincolnshire? After all, the Patriots (9-10, 3-6) had just 11 points at halftime.

"We just came out with very low energy,'' said junior Troy Radtke. "I don't know what happened."

An 18-point frantic fourth quarter forced overtime with visiting Lake Forest. The Scouts escaped with a 48-46 NSC Lake Division victory.

After the game's leading scorer, Carter Bass (23 points), pushed in a shot to open the fourth quarter, the Scouts looked in control at 32-19. Evidently that was the score that turned on the Patriots' offense.

Michael Fleming's three-pointer opened the gates. He finished with 13 points. Radtke's three-point play followed.

"We got some stops,'' Ambrose said. "And we got some people to the basket."

Five minutes into the final quarter, Johnny Ricchio's bank shot fell. It completed a 12-0 run by the Patriots and cut the Scouts lead to a single point at 32-31.

"This was a conference game,'' Radtke said. "And we finally got emotional about it."

A errant shot went up at the end of regulation and then the buzzer sounded. Chapman's rebound and bucket was called good and sent the game to overtime.

In the extra session, the Pats again looked out of luck when the Scouts built a 47-40 advantage with more than a minute left. However, both Fleming and Chapman (11 points) weren't through playing. Fleming's jumper cut that margin to 47-44.

And then it came down to free throws. Lake Forest helped the Pats by making just one of six shots in the last minute. Both Fleming and Chapman had chances at the foul line in the final seconds but came up short.

"There are lessons to learn here,'' Ambrose said. "We just didn't play with that energy in the first half and that's why we fell short."

Colby Cashaw, a 6-foot-6 junior, had some good minutes off the bench. He finished with six points. His last score came on a big dunk in the fourth quarter.

"Colby is very athletic,'' Ambrose said. "He's really come on. He just needs to keep on improving."

Glenbard West is the non-conference foe on Tuesday night in Lincolnshire. The Patriots visit Mundelein Friday night.