Boys Basketball: Dennis Moore leads Elgin to OT win over Stevenson

Updated: November 22, 2011 11:32PM

Senior star Kory Brown and junior point guard Arie Williams had fouled in overtime Tuesday for Elgin against Stevenson in the Buffalo Grove Bison Classic, so someone else had to step up.

Senior football star Dennis Moore did, sinking 8 of 8 free throws in overtime to preserve a lead the Maroons got on Moore’s rebound bucket 1:30 into OT, and the Maroons escaped with a 67-65 victory.

“Dennis has been through a lot of tough games, football, basketball,” Elgin coach Mike Sitter said. “He’s got ice water in his veins.”

Moore hit 6-of-6 in the final 37 seconds after Connor Cashaw’s bucket cut the Stevenson deficit to 60-58 with 43 seconds remaining.

Stevenson never led or was tied after Michael Fleming’s 18-footer a minute into overtime knotted the score at 55. The Bison did get the deficit to one with four seconds left on Fleming’s 3-pointer, 66-65, but Elgin held the ball a few ticks and then got it to Cortez Scott, who was fouled and made the second of two free throws with nine-tenths of a second left to ice the win.

A two-thirds court desperation heave by Stevenson’s Justin Berkson at the buzzer was well off the mark.

“That was fun,” Sitter said, adding that the Maroons (2-0) got tested in all phases of their game.

Fleming scored a game-high 27 points to more than offset 21 by Brown. Moore added 16 for Elgin.

“Fleming was out of his mind,” Sitter said. “He hit a 1-on-2 shot to tie it at the end (of regulation). We couldn’t stop him. ‘

“Stevenson is going to win a lot of ballgames this year.”

Fleming’s 3-pointer over two players with 2:25 left tied it at 53. Brown’s missed fallaway at the top of the key at the buzzer meant the teams had to go an extra session.

“Kory carried us and got us the lead and we showed a lot of intestinal fortitude finding ways to win this with Kory and Arie on the bench,” Sitter said.

The Maroons let a 53-47 lead with 4:26 slip away in the closing minutes when Andy Stempel hit a 3-pointer and Fleming made his game-tying shot.

In overtime, Williams fouled out after just 30 seconds. Moore’s rebound bucket and a steal and layup by Brown gave Elgin a 59-55 edge that the Maroons protected.

Gerardo Mojica came up with three big rebounds and a steal, as well as four points in the fourth quarter and overtime to help keep the Maroons in the lead.

Scott finished with 13 points, including four 3-pointers in the first three quarters.

Elgin hit 20-of-43 from the floor (47 percent) for the game while Stevenson was 22-of-51 (43 percent).

Jalen Brunson had 12 points and Colby Cashaw 10 for Stevenson (1-1).

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