Down big headed into the fourth quarter, Sycamore showed its resilience on Friday night in Ottawa in a 62-53 win.

“That’s the most adversity we’ve had in a game this season,” said Sycamore senior guard Marcus Johnson, who crossed over the 1,000-point mark for his career in the contest. “It really shows who we are as a team. We’re never out of a game.”

Ottawa led 48-37 after three quarters, but Sycamore went up-tempo and quickly flipped the momentum with a 15-0 run to open the fourth and never looked back.

The Spartans ramped up their defensive pressure in the final eight minutes, switching to a half-court trap that disrupted the offensive rhythm Ottawa had all night and forced multiple live-ball turnovers. Sycamore capitalized in the open floor, erasing the deficit in a matter of minutes.

“Down by that much, we knew we had to find a way to use our defense to create offense,” Sycamore head coach Ethan Franklin said.

“Offensively, I thought we did a good job of moving the ball in half-court late, got open looks and knocked them down. In the second half, I thought we did a much better job with ball reversals and finding better actions.”

Franklin’s squad outscored the Pirates 25-5 over the final eight minutes, turning a double-digit deficit into a comfortable win.

Johnson led the charge, finishing with 24 points, seven rebounds, a steal and a block. Johnson, along with others, just couldn’t miss during the late run, knocking down multiple open 3s.

Senior forward Isaiah Feuerbach had a standout defensive game and finished with 15 points, five rebounds, three assists, four steals and a block while guarding Ottawa’s star senior forward Owen Sanders.

Franklin said it was emphasized in practice leading up to this game how important it would be to slow down Sanders, and he was very pleased with how his defense fared.

“He’s a great player and can take over game if you let him. We just wanted to make everything tough for him tonight,” Franklin said. “Make him see multiple bodies every time he touched it.”

The Spartans were successful - limiting Sanders to just seven points, nine rebounds, a steal and a block.

Ottawa head coach Mark Cooper put it plainly, saying the Pirates’ late struggles with the press ultimately cost them the game.

“We just turned the ball over too many times in the fourth quarter,” Ottawa coach Mark Cooper said. “Those live-ball turnovers let them play with freedom, and we weren’t able to get set defensively. That ended up being the difference.”

Before the late collapse, Ottawa shot well from beyond the arc, led by junior Jack Carroll with 12 points, three rebounds and a steal. Senior Hezekiah Joachim added 11 points, three assists and two steals.

With a smile on his face after the comeback win, Franklin gave all the credit to his team’s willingness to put in the extra work.

“For us, it all starts with the work and the preparation,” Franklin said. “Those guys come in at 6 in the morning and get shots up year-round, and I truly believe that dedication to their game prepares them for moments like this.”

“Our guys stepped up tonight as a team when it mattered most and I’m proud of them all.”

The win keeps Sycamore near the top of the I-8 standings behind undefeated Kaneland.