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DeKALB – A 20-point DeKalb lead was down to 13 in the fourth when Phillips guards Amari Edwards stripped Eric Rosenow of the ball and coasted down the floor for what seemed like was going to be an easy layup.
But Davon Grant never stopped sprinting behind Edwards and emphatically blocked the layup attempt. Instead of an 11-point lead, the Barbs scored the next four points in a 74-55 win on Saturday to claim the 96th annual Chuck Dayton Classic.
“I knew the steal diminished our energy,” Grant said. “So I thought to myself, just let me get back hustle on defense and try to get this block. I don’t really go for like chase-down blocks, but when know I can get it, that’s when I’m going to go for it.”
The Barbs (11-4) claimed their first win in a full version of the tournament since 2019. They won a three-team round-robin version of it in early 2021 while COVID-19 restrictions were still in place.
The 19-point win was the smallest margin of the Barbs’ four wins in the tournament.
“It was very important [to win the tournament],” Grant said. “We knew it was going to be tough getting here to the final. But we persevered and fought and played Barbs basketball.”
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Grant had 26 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Sean Reynolds scored 14 and drained three 3-pointers, including one with 1:39 left in the first quarter that not only put the Barbs ahead 19-14 but was his 1,000th career point.
Reynolds and Grant were co-MVPs of the tournament.
“It was something I always wanted to do, lead a team to win it,” Reynolds said. “That’s what we did tonight. It feels real good.”
The Wildcats (8-7) jumped out to a 6-2 lead after a four-point play by Edwards, who finished with 18. The teams went back and forth until a 3-pointer by Grant put the Barbs up 14-12 with 2:21 left in the first quarter.
After a 15-3 run late in the first half pushed the lead to 42-28 at the break, the Barbs never led by single digits again.
Coach Mike Reynolds said the Barbs have had issues closing out games this year – they led in the fourth quarter of both their conference losses. But when the lead was about to get down to 11 on Saturday, Grant made his big play to maintain energy.
“When we were 2-2, 3-3 coming out, I don’t want to use the term embarrassing, but we didn’t play to our capabilities,” Mike Reynolds said. “We had some leads, we’ve had some leads against two conference teams, and we didn’t like the way those games ended. We didn’t have the killer instinct defensively or offensively and I think that’s growing into us.”
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Jackson Kees had 15 points for the Barbs, while Eric Rosenow had six points and six assists, including a no-look pass to Brayson Barnhardt for a 3-pointer at the end of the first half. Marquise Bolden had six assists for the Barbs.
Edwards and Claude Mpouma each had 18 points for Phillips, while Mpouma grabbing a team-best seven rebounds.
Last year, the Barbs lost a quarterfinal to eventual champ Geneva. Two years ago the Barbs lost a semifinal to eventual champ Huntley.
“Last year we came up short and it really hurt us a little bit,” Grant said. “This year we bounced back and it feels good to win and beat a very good Phillips team.”
The Barbs are back into conference play on Friday at Naperville Central. They are 1-2 in the DVC this year.
“It’s a lot of momentum going back into conference play where we’ve struggled,” Sean Reynolds said. “We feel like we threw a couple games away. But this gives us a lot of momentum to keep fighting. Tonight we saw what we can be and we have to continue playing that way.”