In the first overtime game in the history of the Voyager Media Prep Shootout, Team Mark took down Team Scott 120-119 Sunday night at the Sullivan Center on the University of St. Francis campus for the eighth annual event.
It was Lockport’s Brandon Credit who hit the game-winning three-pointer in the corner to give Team Mark the lead in the final minute and Team Scott was unable to convert on two different opportunities to win the game.
“That last shot, I had a little space and I took the shot and it went in and that was cool,” Credit said. “They had a height advantage over us, but we came out with the W. I loved this game, there was a bunch of highlight plays and a green light all the time.”
The two teams were tied at 112-112 at the end of regulation in a game that didn’t appear it would be close early.
Team Scott jumped out to a 9-0 lead and led 27-11 early on.
Team Mark slowly chipped away at the deficit the rest of the game and trailed 68-58 at the half.
A big run gave Team Mark its first lead at 97-94 as the two teams went back-and-forth the remainder of the game.
Team Mark’s Harold Davis of JCA was the MVP after scoring 23 points with five three-pointers.
“All star games are great,” Davis said. “I got to play with a lot of people I knew and with (Jalen Jackson) my friend who I have played with my whole life. I have always been able to shoot, but I like to pass first and I got some oops in. Usually, I like to drive, but today I let it fly.”
JCA’s Jalen Jackson scored 21, including showing jumping ability for the sub-6-foot guard.
“My goal here was to get at least one dunk and I got it,” Jackson said. “We just went out there and had fun and didn’t have a coach breathing down our neck. We had no worries and just had fun.”
Joliet Central’s Malik Fuller had 19 for Team Mark.
“This is really exciting to come out here and play in this and get the dunks,” Fuller said. “Being around a bunch of good guys, it was a great time.”
Devon Sams of Bolingbrook had 15 points for Team Mark on five three pointers.
“It was fun,” Sams said. “The entire game, no matter who is on you, it is going to be another good player from another school. It is much more free of an atmosphere that a regular season or a playoff game. I made some shots tonight, but my teammates did a good job, even in am all star game, of moving the ball.”
Sams said he was determined to end his career with a win.
“Our plan was to stay in it until the end and then the last three of four minutes, we would start playing real basketball,” he said. “It was their own fault (they lost). They were scoring and looking at us, so we started playing defense, but they made it fun for us.”
Brad Perry of Maine South scored 14 points.
“It was good time. It was a good way to send out my high school basketball career,” he said. “I never played with any of these guys and it was a unique experience to play with and against guys I haven’t played with. I haven’t had those unique experiences, especially the one where I drove up the floor and reversed jammed.”
Credit tallied 10, Jacob Buchner of Plainfield South had nine, while Zach Grady of Bolingbrook scored five.
“It was a lot of fun. Hopefully my coach was out here and saw I could shoot the three point ball. I actually wanted to shoot one of the half court shots, it just wasn’t the time,” Grady said referencing his highlight reel 80-foot heave in the regional at Minooka. “At the end, we actually D’ed up and started playing, we couldn’t take the L tonight, we just couldn’t. It was a good game and a lot of fun.”
Matthew Mahlke and Deantre DeYoung each had a basket.
Downers South’s Donovan Ferguson had 17 points to lead Team Scott.
“I had a great time out there,” Ferguson said. “I had a three-point shot, the first one I ever made in a game. It was great. It was all fun until the last few minutes when we waned to win.
“I never played with or knew half these guys before. It was fun to play with great talent. It was nice to get one more game with the uniform, but sad to have to turn it in.”
Ferguson and Elijah Goss of Plainfield (15 points) spent a lot of the game above the rim giving the fans a show.
“It was a fun experience,” Goss said. “I got to play one last high school game with all my friends. You have to have fun and get the crowd going. We always try to get the win at the end though. It is kind of weird because you always play against them and then you try to build chemistry with them for one game. But it was a good time.”
Antowine Locke (Bolingbrook) and Kevin Krieger (Plainfield North) each had 11 for Team Scott.
“It was a great time playing with the best kids in the area,” Krieger said. “It came down to crunch time. It was fun to play with the guys you played against in middle school and high school. It was a great time. On the court we are obviously rivals, but we came together as a unit. I definitely wish we would have played more defense earlier.”
Jordan Reed (Plainfield East) had nine and Scott Gustafson (Plainfield Central) scored eight.
“I had a good time for my last high school game,” Reed said. “I’ve always known the Plainfield guys so it was good to get on the same team with them, especially Kevin, he is a great player. It was a good time playing with all of those guys.”
Richie Elias (Plainfield North) and Darick Anderson, Jr (Bolingbrook) had six, Tommy Digan (Maine South), Justin Windt (Plainfield Central) and Patrick Hunt (Northridge Prep) each scored five and Jon Arenas (Maine South) added two points. Henry Thompson (Plainfield North) also competed.
“It was a lot of fun,” Arenas said. “There were a lot of good players out here. I got to know some of the players and just being out here competing was fun. It is something I will always remember. It was a fun game, just too bad we couldn’t get the win at the end. It was cool to play with the other players and I wish them luck in college.”
Westmont’s Kyle Domin (eight points) was the only player not from Class 3A or 4A on either roster.
“They are all from big schools and I’m not, so I don’t know any of them,” Domin said. “It was great to get to talk to all of them. It was fun out there. It was great to represent Westmont. It felt good to know I was honored and had a great time.”