O’Brien: Homewood-Flossmoor knocks off Marian Catholic in 6 OT thriller

SHARE O’Brien: Homewood-Flossmoor knocks off Marian Catholic in 6 OT thriller
FullSizeRender_2.jpg

Homewood-Flossmoor guard Trelan Morrow dribbles the ball against Marian Catholic.

Everyone that packed the Marian Catholic gym on Wednesday knew what they were getting into. Homewood-Flossmoor and the Spartans have been staging their annual Thanksgiving Eve game at the Chicago Heights Classic for a few years now. It’s one of the season’s truly great events, with high-level play and passionate fans.

But no one had any clue just how wild this one was going to be. The game was a barnburner for a half. The second half started to drag and the gym heated up. It was so humid that water was actually dripping from the walls and door jams.

“The floors were slippery, it was hot, everybody was yelling and you couldn’t hear the plays,” Homewood-Flossmoor senior Jarret Tribble said. “But we got through it.”

Tribble had the two key plays in the Vikings’ marathon 74-73 win in six overtimes.

Tribble tipped in a missed three-pointer by Nick Holmes just before the buzzer of the third overtime.

“I didn’t know if they were going to count it,” Homewood-Flossmoor coach Marc Condotti said. “It was so loud you had to be actually watching the clock.”

It counted. Tribble also swatted away a three-point attempt by Marian Catholic senior Sean Taylor to preserve the win. Taylor was red-hot throughout, he scored a game-high 22 points for the Spartans.

Jeffrey Boyd’s two free-throws with five seconds to play in the sixth overtime put the Vikings ahead 74-70. That was the winning margin and H-F needed every single point. Marian Catholic guard Chase Adams drained a three right before the final buzzer.

Boyd scored 17 and grabbed nine rebounds for Homewood-Flossmoor. Tribble scored 20 and had eight rebounds and Cortez King-Parks added 10 points and six rebounds.

“We have seniors, but not guys that have really been in these big games before,” Condotti said. “Plus the fatigue factor just kind of played in.”

A Marian Catholic official said the team drank 15 gallons of water during the game.

Adams scored 17 for the Spartans, 12 in the overtime. Senior Warren Allen was Marian Catholic’s most consistent player, he finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Malik Tidwell scored seven points off the bench, including a key three-pointer in the third overtime.

“There aren’t many atmospheres like that in the state, especially this time of year,” Condotti said. “You do nothing but grow from that game. We love coming here and that is part of the reason why.”

The Latest
Murder charges have been filed against suspect Christian I. Soto, 22. Investigators haven’t determined a motive for the attacks, but they say Soto had been smoking marijuana before the rampage.
To celebrate the historic coinciding of the emerging of two broods, artists can adopt a cicada for free in exchange for decorating it and displaying it publicly. Others can purchase the cicadas for $75.
Senators tasked with clearing Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s appointments are raising concerns over his renomination of Illinois Emergency Management Agency Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau after the Sun-Times last year reported an executive assistant accounted for more than $240,000 in billings.
White Sox fans from all over will flock to Guaranteed Rate Field on Thursday for the team’s home opener against the Tigers.