Dec. 31--Playing from behind finally caught up with Homewood-Flossmoor Wednesday night in the championship game of the inaugural Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic.
Forced to battle uphill throughout in their title tilt with Encino (Calif.) Crespi Carmelite, the Vikings didn't have enough left to overcome a nightmarish fourth quarter in a 50-41 defeat.
"They were playing at a fast pace and we were kind of gassed coming out of the half but we fought back," Homewood-Flossmoor junior guard Trelan Morrow said. "We caught them, but then they put the gas pedal down on us and didn't take it off."
Morrow's 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer brought the Vikings (7-3) to within 34-31 heading into the fourth, and classmate Jeffrey Boyd's 3 35 seconds into the final period forged the game's first tie at 34-34. That's when things went south for H-F.
An 8-0 burst by Crespi's USC-bound guard De'Anthony Melton over the next four minutes wrestled back momentum in the Celts' favor. The Vikings' offense went into a funk, producing six turnovers and five missed shots in a six-minute span after Boyd's 3-pointer.
It wasn't until Kendric Pryor's two free throws with 1 minute, 37 seconds left that the Vikings scored next, ending a 15-0 run by Crespi (14-1) to start the fourth.
Melton, the tournament MVP, showed why he's regarded as one of the nation's top prep shooting guards, displaying a sterling all-around game that included six rebounds, six assists and three blocks to complement a game-high 22 points.
Taking over games late is something Melton, the Celts' lone senior starter, watched former teammate and current Virginia star London Perrantes do when Melton was a prep freshman.
"I watched London play a lot and saw him lead us to a lot of wins," Melton said. "Now that I'm a senior, I try to emulate him. I've been in a lot of close games, so now I know what it takes."
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
Player of the game: De'Anthony Melton, Crespi, 22 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks.
Key performers: Crespi -- Brandon Williams, 13 points. Homewood-Flossmoor -- Trelan Morrow and Kendric Pryor, 12 points apiece.
