McHenry takes Hoops for Healing title with OT win over Cary-Grove

WOODSTOCK – Championship games, even matinees in the first week of the season, provide pressure.

And sometimes ball and rim have no mercy.

After three missed free throws with no time on the clock forced overtime, McHenry prevailed 55-52 over Cary-Grove on Wednesday in the title game of the Hoops for Healing tournament at Woodstock North.

“It’s a lot of pressure with the fans being loud and stuff,” McHenry senior guard Dylan Hurckes said after he made just enough of his OT free throws, 6 of 8 in the final 1:09, to help the Warriors (3-0) win their third game in as many days in the tourney co-hosted by Woodstock North and Woodstock.

“We’re a talented team, and we’re tall,” said the 6-foot-3 Hurckes, who finished with 10 points (8 of 10 from the stripe) and five rebounds. “Working hard and being physical is the key for us.”

McHenry 6-foot-7 junior Adam Anwar scored a game-high 22 points on 10-of-19 shooting (one 3-pointer) and grabbed seven rebounds. Despite McHenry outscoring C-G 12-0 in the first quarter, Anwar was held scoreless (0-of-4 shooting). He had 34 and 21 points, respectively, in the Warriors’ first two games.

“He has a big learning curve coming on how he’s going to have to score in different ways,” McHenry coach Corky Card said. “He’s on that path. He’s a very good player.”

Anwar started attacking the basket and was more physical in the post the rest of the game, but he had multiple defenders on him every time he touched the ball.

“Being one of those hardworking players on the floor and scoring a lot in the first game, they know from the scouting report that they got to take care of me, but that doesn’t take away the fact that I’m still a scorer,” Anwar said. “My mentality is that I’m better than everyone who steps on the floor with me. I got off to a rough start, but it didn’t really change anything. I still got my points and, ultimately, we got the win. That’s the best part.”

Despite Anwar’s second-quarter scoring, C-G got back in the game and took a 21-18 lead on a Dylan Dumele 3 with 1:10 left in the half. Dumele hit another 3 with three seconds on the clock to make the score 24-24 at the break.

The score remained tight throughout the second half, and when McHenry’s Conner McLean (eight points, six rebounds) muscled in a shot in the lane with seven seconds left in the fourth, tying the score at 47, OT looked imminent. But a long inbounds pass found C-G’s Justice German, who was fouled outside the arc while shooting as the buzzer sounded.

After none of the three fouls shots fell, McLean’s drive early in overtime gave the Warriors the lead for good.

“I feel sick for our guys,” Trojans coach Adam McCloud said. “I had no doubt in my mind [German] was going to make those shots. Bad bounce, tough rim. We were right there. We battled back. Zero [points] in the first quarter, and then we came back and took the lead. It was a great effort.”

Hurckes split two free throws twice after the Dumele’s fifth 3-pointer with 15 seconds left in OT pulled C-G within 53-52.

“After [German] missed the three [free throws] to send it to OT, it was a lot of pressure in overtime to hit those free throws for me,” Hurckes said.

“They really outplayed us most of the game,” Card said of the Trojans. “We got up on them early, and they just kept plugging away and did a great job. Really, all you want at the end of a game is a chance, and both teams had chances. Hats off to C-G. We made enough plays to stay in it, so we’ll take the win.”

AJ Berndt (four 3-pointers) and Dumele led the Trojans with 17 and 15 points, respectively. Adam Bauer, C-G’s 6-6 returning starter, had 12 points, despite picking up three first-half fouls.

“We got to keep our best scorer out of foul trouble,” McCloud said of Bauer. “He was on the bench too much. When he’s in there, it’s a difference maker.”