Boys basketball: DeKalb holds off Phillips to close Chuck Dayton with win

DeKALB – DeKalb rallied twice to survive Phillips Academy 46-42 during Friday’s fifth-place game in the 95th annual Chuck Dayton Holiday Classic.

Sean Reynolds, who was named to the all-tournament team, led the Barbs with 14 points, none more important than his only free throws of the game during a bonus situation with 13.7 seconds remaining to seal it.

“I didn’t feel like we had control until the buzzer really sounded and we won the game,” Reynolds said. “It was just a game of runs, so we tried to fight on defense.”

DeKalb’s biggest run allowed the Barbs (11-3) to rally from their second big deficit of the game. It was desperately needed after the Barbs fell behind 17-7 early in the second quarter only to rally for a 28-21 lead in the opening minute of the third quarter, then fall behind 39-32 with 6:47 left to play.

“Two nights ago we started out really slow and never got back,” Reynolds said. “Today we started off slow and we got back. Our energy and our mindset was horrible against Geneva, so we came back the next day and locked in. [We had a] silent locker before that game and we were all locked in.

“We just had to play like a family again. We were disconnected in the Geneva game, but the last two nights we felt like a family again.”

Families pick each other up, much like DeKalb did when Darrell Island (9 rebounds, 10 points) fouled out with 4:04 left in the game. A team could sulk after losing a key starter whose physicality was huge defensively, but not the Barbs. Cooper Phelps who was scoreless, took a charge less than a minute later.

“Every guy on our bench, even if they didn’t play, they all contributed,” Reynolds said. “Our coach is always harping on us ‘Don’t take no for an answer,’ so we just had to find a way to win that one.”

Freshman Davon Grant, who scored 8 of his 10 points in the second half, took a charge and rode the momentum into a three-point play the other way to give the Barbs the lead for good at 42-39 after three second-half ties.

“It was back and forth, but that’s basketball. You’ve got pull through the adversity and find a way to pull out the win,” Grant said. “I’m loving this. Right now, I’m just being the big on the team, but I’m going to expand and move my game out so I’ll be able to do everything.”

Before Island fouled out, he drained a 3 after Reynolds kept a loose rebound alive. Phelps followed with a charge on the other end before Eric Rosenow followed his own missed 3 attempt, with a putback to tie the game at 39 with 2:08 left.

Island and Rosenow added 10 points each, while Tyler Vilet had eight rebounds as the Barbs found a way to win despite shooting just 30% (16 of 54) from the field and only 23% (7 of 30) from beyond the arc. Phillips wasn’t much better at 38% (18 of 47).

Jaheim Savage led Phillips with 17 points and Mykel Lindsey had 10 rebounds.