Boys Basketball: Voitik hits game winner as Niles North downs Glenbrook North
BY DAN SHALIN Contributor January 20, 2012 10:28PM
Northbrook Friday 01.20.12. Niles North's Tafari Beckford (left) (10) battles Glenbrook North's Mitchell Lev (right) (22) during their game on Friday, January 20, 2012, in Northbrook. | Buzz Orr~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: January 31, 2012 3:03PM
Niles North junior Billy Voitik tipped in teammate Malachi Nix’s missed three-pointer at the buzzer to give the visiting Vikings a dramatic 56-54 win over Glenbrook North on Friday night in Northbrook.
The Vikings (13-5, 4-2) trailed by 11 points, 29-18, at halftime and by as many as 14 early in the third quarter.
But Niles North stormed back and took a brief 41-40 lead late in the third.
Glenbrook North junior Kurt Karis hit a three-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer to put the Spartans (13-4, 4-2) up 43-41 entering the fourth.
The lead went back and forth in the final quarter. The Vikings had a chance to put the game away with some late free throws, but did not convert.
The contest was tied at 54-54 when Nix (team-high 19 points) launched a 35-foot three pointer in the waning seconds. He missed, but Voitik was there to be the hero.
“We played a great second half. It was a really disappointing in the first half,” Niles North head coach Glenn Olson said. “We figured some things out in the second half. It also helps when you’re making shots.
“We had some good looks in the first half, but they didn’t go down. We really challenged the kids at halftime to focus on what we believe in as a team. We were able to go out and do a much better job in the second half, and the scoreboard reflected that.”
Niles North hosts Mather at 6 p.m. Saturday. Glenbrook North returns to action at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday when they host Prospect.
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