Boys basketball: Freshman Davon Grant records double-double as DeKalb holds off Dunlap in opener

DeKALB – Davon Grant had a double-double in his first high school game to help DeKalb hold off Dunlap 61-59 in a Galesburg Holiday Tournament game Monday that featured 33 fouls in the second half.

“It felt good,” said Grant, who had 16 points and 11 rebounds. “It was a little bit nerve-wracking, but once I got adjusted to how people were playing, adjusted to the atmosphere, I fit right in.”

Aside from the first 3 minutes, DeKalb (1-0) led throughout. That lead grew to 40-25 midway through the third quarter. But the fouls started going against the Barbs – Dunlap was shooting the double bonus in the third quarter – and the Eagles (1-0) clawed back into the game.

Even though there were 32 total points in the fourth quarter, the teams only made a combined six field goals. The rest of the scoring came from the free-throw line.

The Eagles had a chance to tie the game in the final 4 seconds, but a last-ditch contested shot from Mack Sutter from the right of the free throw line didn’t drop, and the Barbs escaped with the win.

“It’s a typical first game,” DeKalb coach Mike Reynolds said. “It was nice to play someone that’s really competitive. I think Dunlap, obviously they have those bigger, stronger guys and a lot of experience coming back. It was good for our young guys to figure out how to grind out a win.”

The Barbs were projected to be a young team this year, yet were even younger than expected Monday with Darrell Island, one of only two starters back for DeKalb from last year’s regional championship team, missing because of an injury.

Junior Eric Rosenow also left the game with an ankle injury. He started for the Barbs and finished with seven points, although Reynolds said he expects him back as well.

“You figure out a way to win the game,” Reynolds said. “It’s early. We have time to correct a lot of things. Last year we didn’t play our best at the beginning, we played our best at the end. And we’re hoping for the same thing again.”

The top three scorers for the Barbs were all sophomores or younger. In addition to Grant, Jackson Kees scored 13 and Sean Reynolds, the other returning starter from last year who scored the first nine points of the game Monday for DeKalb, finished with 10. Kees scored 10 in the third quarter, and Grant scored 10 of his points in the final 10 minutes of the game.

“We’re high on these young guys,” Mike Reynolds said. “We think it’s going to be a different guy all the time. They did a nice job after Sean was hot at the beginning to try and face guard and take him away. Which is fine. We didn’t force it because it gave Jackson a little time to get open and hit some shots. And then Davon had a time when he could hit some shots.”

One of the two field goals for the Barbs in the fourth quarter – they were outscored 20-12 in the frame – was a putback by Grant. He had six second-chance points and four offensive rebounds in the win.

“He’s got a big upside,” Mike Reynolds said. “But he’s young and he’s figuring it out. There are a lot of things young guys don’t know. We have three sophomores and a freshman in the rotation. The key is not can you do it one time, can you do it all the time? And that’s what the really good players do.”

The Barbs continue to play in the tournament Friday as the venue shifts to Galesburg with games against Canton on Friday and Chicago Wells on Saturday.

Austin Schaumburg had 21 points for the Eagles after only six at halftime. Ryan DiGiallonardo had 16 points and 14 rebounds, while Sutter had eight points and seven rebounds.

“I feel like this tested us pretty well,” Grant said. “We handled it and answered it exceptionally. It was beautiful.”