LISLE – As the clocked ticked down in the final seconds in Saturday’s game against Young, Yorkville senior center Jason Jakstys was supposed to cap a stunning game with a stunning finish.

The Foxes were locked in a tie game with the city powerhouse at Benet’s “When Sides Collide” marquee one-day shootout. With 12.7 seconds left, the No. 1 option for the Foxes – at least in the eyes of the entire near sell-out crowd – was to get the ball to the 6-foot-10 Jakstys.

The Illinois recruit was one of the headline players in the five-game shootout, which was filled with marquee players and teams.

But Yorkville senior guard Dayvion Johnson had other ideas.

For a change, it was Dayvion Johnson time in the final seconds.

After Jakstys set a screen at the top-of-the-key, Johnson dribbled hard to his right, rising up for a lay-in over a defender with 3.9 seconds left to power Yorkville to a thrilling 67-65 victory over Young.

“Before coach called the play, I didn’t know it was going to me,” Johnson said. “I was happy when he did it. I came down the court, then Jason set a screen on the right side and I just drove. They didn’t help, so I went for the layup.”

The 5-foot-11 Johnson stole the show – and the headlines – but Jakstys and Bryce Salek carried the Foxes during some tough stretches. Salek led the Foxes (11-8) with 17 points, Kevian Johnson finished with 11 points and Dayvion Johnson added 10 points. Howard Williams and Marquis Clark both scored 14 points for the Dolphins.

The 6-10 Jakstys turned several heads in the packed gym, finishing with a impressive stat line of 16 points, 22 rebounds, three assists, four blocks, three steals, three dunks and he even took a charge to add another chapter to his growing legacy.

Still, the team-first Jakstys chose to credit his teammates for pulling together to snare the big win.

“We’re playing in some big games and our record does not show how good we are,” Jakstys said. “I couldn’t breathe and tried to celebrate at the end. but couldn’t. This was a big game, and just tried to put it all on the floor. It’s fun to win.”

On the winning play, Jakstys said Dayvion Johnson made the right call.

“It was really a read-option for Dayvion and he had multiple options,” Jakstys said. “He made the right option, with a wide-open layup. It was a great take by Dayvion.”

Salek had a prolific game, attacking the basket for dunks and hitting two first-quarter 3-pointers.

“I just like setting the tone in a lot of games,” Salek said. “I started playing lazy a bit in the second and third quarters, but I had to dig deep in the fourth quarter and make some bigger plays. We knew they had a few players out, so me and Jason tried to play bigger and get back in transition. We’re trying to go up from here and keep winning and let people know who we are.”

Yorkville coach John Holakovsky praised Dayvion Johnson for taking advantage of an opening on the final play.

“That last play honestly wasn’t for Dayvion,” he said. “It was a ball screen looking for Jason. We thought they were going to switch early because they were switching. We were hoping Jason could slip to the three-point line, then catch it with a back side guy cutting backdoor. We didn’t think that would be open, but I would open up the drive for Jason to drive baseline. But Dayvion took a great drive, took it hard to the basket against that type of defense really says a lot about his confidence in himself.

The Dolphins (10-9) have struggled this season due to a young team, plus they had two starters sidelined against the Foxes.

Young coach Tyrone Slaughter credited the Foxes for their late comeback and toughness. He praised Jakstys’ all-around game and discussed his long-range potential. Slaughter has coached several Division I players, including former NBA center Jahlil Okafor.

“The number one thing I think he has to work on, and I’m just from 1,000-yard view is he has to get in much better physical condition,” Slaughter said. “Of course, he has to get stronger. I don’t think he took or made a jump shot. I knew he can do it. I think they did a good job of realizing they had a mismatch and used him more in the post. I thought a large part of what he got was second shots off rebounds. For him, if he continues to grow and gets stronger, that because of his skill set, he looks like today’s basketball player.”

The Foxes trailed 44-31 early in the third quarter, but Dayvion Johnson sparked the comeback with a pair of 3-pointers in a three-possession span. The Foxes managed to tie the game at 59-59 by scoring on three straight possessions, highlighted by Jory Boley’s lay-in with 3:02 left in regulation.

The Foxes closed out the game in impressive fashion, scoring on seven of their final eight possessions. Young’s Rykan Woo canned a tying 3-pointer from the corner with 12.7 seconds left to set up the dramatic ending.

Holakovsky said Saturday’s win was the ideal ending to memorable two-day period, which included a win over Romeoville on Friday.

“This was a huge weekend for us,” he said. “We played two quality teams and showed a lot about our heart and character. We are finally at pretty much full strength. This was absolutely a big showcase for Jason. He’s a big reason why we’re in this game. For him to have big game, it shows he’s a Big Ten player for a reason. He’s getting rebounds and pushing it himself. He made some key passes in transition. He’s such an energy guy for us. He does a little bit of everything for us, even took a charge today. Bryce always sets the tone with the way he plays. He’s super athletic and super quick and strong. He was physical and played with a lot of effort.”