Late in the first half Friday, Lyons sophomore forward Grant Smith snared a defensive rebound against Hinsdale Central.

With a large crowd in attendance for the West Suburban Silver Division game, the 6-foot-6 Smith casually brought the ball up the court, weaving his way through a crowd of defenders before noticing a big opening just past the 3-point line.

Just then, even with just five full games of varsity experience under his belt, Smith drove aggressively toward the basket, thrilling the home crowd with a thundering slam dunk.

Smith said it was an electric moment for him early in his varsity career.

“I remember getting the rebound, pushing it up, then went between the legs and crossed it over,” Smith said of his dunk. “The (defender) wasn’t there, so I had a wide open (path). It felt good.”

It was just one of many highlight-reel moments for the budding star against the Red Devils in the low-scoring game. Smith scored a game-high 17 points, including draining a trey, to spark Lyons to a 39-33 victory over Hinsdale Central.

Lyons coach Tom Sloan said Smith was a driving engine in the victory. The Lions (6-0, 1-0) play at Neuqua Valley, who have their own standout sophomore in Cole Kelly, on Saturday.

Timmy Sloan hit four key free throws in the fourth quarter to finish with five points for the Lions. He canned two free throws to push the Lions lead to 35-31 with 1:16 left in the game.

“He’s skilled, athletic and intelligent and had a good start to the year,” Tom Sloan said of Smith. “He’s had a good start to the year and he made some big plays tonight. As a sophomore, there’s ups and downs. He made his through his first Hinsdale Central game and played very well.”

Hinsdale Central coach Nick LaTorre said his players showed heart by fighting back, especially with senior starting guard Christian Cheung sidelined with an injury.

The Red Devils were led by Kristopher Dowell’s 10 points, while Rodney Davis added eight points. Hinsdale Central made just three 3s, but shot 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. They had a chance to take the lead but missed a three-pointer with just under two minutes on the clock.

“I thought our kids did a really good job of hanging around,” LaTorre said. “Lyons has a lot of talent and are very good. I’m proud of our guys for sticking to the game plan. We did a good job on the glass. (Smith) is a special player and really good. He shoots it well and gets to the basket and it seems he has a killer mentality – in a good way. I can’t say enough about the talent around him. Timmy Sloan is a special and they have a lot of weapons.”

Sloan said it was a unique night for his players. Outside of the normal rivalry theatrics, the varsity game was delayed for almost 30 minutes because a fire alarm went off before the game, causing the entire fieldhouse to go outside in the freezing cold.

Sloan admitted it was a first in his long playing and coaching career.

“We just tried to relax but we knew it would be over and be back in the gym,” Sloan said. “Fortunately, it was in the sophomore game. I don’t think it impacted either team, but it was another piece to the story between Lyons and Hinsdale Central.”