Davon Grant hits 1,000 career points, but DeKalb falls to Glenbard West

DeKALB – Glenbard West never trailed on Wednesday against DeKalb.

Still, Logan Glover said the Hilltoppers knew a run was coming, and sure enough the Barbs obliged.

Glover, TJ Williams and Glenbard West stopped the Barbs on two possessions with a chance to tie in the final minute, downing DeKalb 56-51 on a night Barbs junior Davon Grant reached the 1,000-point mark for his career.

“In the second half we knew the tide was turning a little bit,” Glover said. “So we came out strong. We talked a lot. Changed our defense, changed our looks. We came together in the second half and didn’t really do that in the first. Coming together as a real team was key to the win.”

The Hilltoppers (4-0) led by as much as 11, the last time coming at 45-34 late in the third quarter.

But the Barbs (2-3) exploded early in the fourth for a 10-2 run, cutting the lead to 49-46 with 4:07 left on a 3-pointer by Myles Newman, who scored eight of the 10 points during the run.

DeKalb still trailed 54-51 after Sean Reynolds hit Grant on an alley-oop, capping his 22-point performance after he didn’t score in the first quarter.

The Barbs had two possessions in the final minute with a chance to tie but couldn’t, then Miller had a steal and a dunk with 17 seconds left to seal the win.

“TJ made some big plays toward the end which gave us the sigh of relief,” Glenbard West coach Jason Opoka said. “It put us in the driver’s seat.”

DeKalb coach Mike Reynolds said it was a bad night for the Barbs. They trailed 14-7 after the first quarter. Grant, who entered the night five points shy of 1,000, didn’t score in the frame. The Barbs shot 3 for 9 from the floor and were outrebounded 10-2 in the first eight minutes.

“We were absolutely terrible,” Reynolds said. “Give all the credit to them. They played hard. They were tougher than us. And as coaches we have to do a better job of getting us ready to play. Because obviously we weren’t ready to play.”

Marquise Bolden led the Barbs with four rebounds. Glover had nine to lead the Hilltoppers to a 33-18 edge on the glass.

“Last year, same guys, but those loose balls we really weren’t getting them,” Glover said. “This year, we got a trainer, we’re working out, we’re talking. That’s all it is.”

Grant came on strong to open the second, scoring six points in less than 80 seconds. His layup with 6:25 left put him at 1,001 points for his career at that point.

“It means a decent amount,” Grant said. “But I always want more. I always want to strive to be better. So that’s what I’m aiming for.”

Grant agreed with Mike Reynolds that it wasn’t a great game for DeKalb.

“I don’t care what the score was,” Grant said. “I don’t care how many [points] people put up. We played bad.”

Newman finished with 13 points, and Bolden had 10 for the Barbs.

Glover had 18 to lead Glenbard West, Williams had 10, and Josh Abushanab had 11.

“We have a bunch of seniors that are dedicated to winning,” Opoka said. “They’re sacrificing a lot to play as a unit. That was our best defensive five and they got the job done when they needed it.”