Though it may have been Niles West’s senior night junior guard Ahmad Gibson stole the show in the fourth quarter as the Boys’ Varsity basketball team defeated the Glenbrook South Titans 62-49 on their home hardwood Friday Feb. 8.
The game was much closer than the final score shows, however.
Senior forward Alex Darville got things going early for the Wolves with a bucket and a foul. He would hit the free throw. Fellow senior Joe Younan mimicked Darville as he, too, scored a basket-and-one. Neither team could gain leverage on their respective opponent, however. It seemed as if every time Niles West scored, Glenbrook South waltzed right back down the court only to match them. Consequently, the game was a draw at the half with a dead-even score of 28-28.
Younan started off the second half doing something Niles West’s fans have become accustomed to watching him do — he buried a deep three-pointer to give West the early lead. However, the even tug-of-war battle from the first half carried over to the third quarter as Glenbrook South continued to mirror Niles West on offense and defense. The Wolves held a narrow lead of 45-42 heading into the final period.
Gibson had a gleam of fire in his eye as the buzzer sounded, signaling the players that they needed to hit the court for the final quarter of action. He was determined to lead his team the victory. He did just that, scoring a game high 21 points in the contest and catching the hot-hand in the fourth.
Ahmad didn’t take credit for the victory, however. He said it was a true team effort.
“I wasn’t really worried about scoring that much,” he said. “I was worried about my team winning, and if that meant me taking on a bigger role as a scorer, then that’s what I was going to do. I’m just glad my team was there to pick me up because I had a lot of poor plays on defense, but my team had faith in me and that allowed me to stay focused and do what I had to do for my team to come out with the W.”
Younan made the most of his senior night, pouring in 20 points of his own. Darville added 11 and a monstrous block down the stretch.
Having won two straight games, Gibson and the Wolves look to keep the momentum rolling in their favor, with their eyes set on Feb. 15 as they play the Waukegan Bulldogs at home.
