In the game’s biggest moments, no one could catch Gianni Cobb and JD Tyler.
Both Homewood-Flossmoor guards streaked loose on fast-break buckets in the final minutes with Curie defenders in hot pursuit. Cobb and Tyler were too fast.
The No. 2 Vikings beat top-ranked Curie 60-58 on Monday in an IHSA Class 4A Supersectional at UIC’s Credit Union 1 Arena.
H-F is returning to the state finals for the first time since it finished second in Class AA in 2004.
“Everyone said we wouldn’t be able to play together and that we wouldn’t share the ball,” Tyler said. “We showed them tonight. People said we wouldn’t beat [Curie] but we just played together and we came together.”
H-F and Curie have been the two best teams in the state all season. The highly anticipated matchup brought a large crowd to UIC, and the teams did not disappoint.
Cobb scored 22 points, including two free throws with 11 seconds remaining to provide the winning margin, and Tyler finished with 18.
Curie (31-3) led 46-38 after Derrick Dowdell’s basket with 7:15 left in the game. That’s when H-F (31-4) began its charge back.
Tyler made a three-pointer with 7:03 left that ignited an 18-2 burst that gave the Vikings a 56-48 lead with a minute to play. Tyler scored 10 points in the run.
“We just had to get something going,” Tyler said. “They came out punching us in second half but we didn’t fall. We punched back and made the run we needed.’’
But Curie roared back in the final minute, scoring seven points in an 18-second burst. The Condors had a chance to tie on or win on its last possession but couldn’t manage a shot.
“We just had to keep calm in the fourth quarter and I knew we would win,” Cobb said. “I lost in the supersectional last year and had to win this one for my family.”
Christian Brockett’s off-balance three-pointer at the buzzer gave Curie a 30-27 lead at halftime. Curie big man Taevion Collier and Cobb were the two offensive stars early. Cobb made his first six shots.
“We made it,” H-F coach Jamere Dismukes said. “My childhood dreams as a player have now been achieved. I always wanted to get on a bus and head to Champaign and get that police escort out of town. We’re going to get that on Friday.”
Mason Minor led Curie with 14. Will Gonzalez scored 13 and Brockett added 14 points for the Condors
“Our kids left it all out there on the court,” Curie coach Mike Oliver said. “Whey worked so hard all year long. No one thought we would achieve the things we achieved. It’s painful because the guys worked their tails off all year long.”
H-F will face New Trier, a winner against Glenbard North in the NOW Arena supersectional, in the semifinals at 3:45 p.m. Friday.
