Boys basketball: Demir Ashiru’s buzzer-beater lifts Plainfield North past Joliet Central

PLAINFIELD – The final sequence of the game Tuesday between visiting Joliet Central and Plainfield North may not have been exactly how North coach Bob Krahulik would have drawn it up, but the game was in good hands with Demir Ashiru on the floor.

Trailing by one in the closing seconds, the Tigers got the ball up the court quickly, and Evan Czarnik launched a 3-pointer from the corner. The shot missed, and the rebound was directed toward Ashiru.

In one motion, Ashiru grabbed the ball and shot, with it falling through the basket at the buzzer for a 60-59 win for North.

“That’s kind of my comfort zone, right around 15 feet,” Ashiru said. “When the ball came to me, I felt good about putting up the shot.”

Joliet Central trailed 58-53 with 36 seconds left before Zion Kostyra (15 points) hit a 3-pointer to bring the Steelmen within 58-56. They then forced a turnover, and Jamarcho Holman, who led all scorers with 20 points, hit a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left to put his team ahead 59-58.

Ashiru, however, made sure the Tigers (11-6, 5-3) went home with the Southwest Prairie Conference win. Krahulik said the game-winner was Ashiru’s second of the season.

“Not how we drew it up at all,” Krahulik said. “But our senior leadership on the floor got it done for us. ... We had a nice lead in the third quarter, up 13 points, but our offense kind of stalled. Give Joliet Central credit. They never quit, and for a while it seemed like every 3-pointer they took went in and they were able to come back.”

Early on, it was North that had the hot hand from behind the arc. The Tigers made seven 3-pointers in the first half en route to a 33-27 halftime lead.

North went up 43-29 on a basket by Ashiru (9 points) midway through the third, but Central’s Jaylin Murphy (15 points) hit three 3-pointers to help the Steelmen (5-11, 1-7) cut the lead to 48-44 entering the fourth quarter.

Driving baskets by Holman and Kostyra to start the fourth quarter tied it at 48. North answered with baskets by Gerald Floyd (4 points, 9 rebounds) and Donovan Collins (11 points) to move ahead 52-48 before Holman drained a 3-pointer to make it 52-51. A free throw by Jeffery Fleming (16 points, 9 rebounds) and a 3-pointer by Drew Jensen put the Tigers ahead 56-51. Holman answered with a reverse layup before Fleming scored to set up the thrilling final 36 seconds.

“We had a stretch where Jeffery Fleming was out with foul trouble, and it hurt us to not have him on the court,” Krahulik said. “He gives us balance with his offensive ability and rebounding down low. When he is out, we are almost exclusively a perimeter team. We went cold, and that allowed them to get back in the game.

“Again, give Central a ton of credit. They kept battling.”

For Central coach Lawrence Thompson Jr., there are plenty of good things to take from the game despite coming out on the losing end.

“All season long the effort by these kids is never a question,” Thompson said. “They always give us a great effort. Sometimes the execution hasn’t been there. Tonight the last minute of the game was as good as we have executed all year.

“We have had a couple games in a row now where we battled back from a big deficit and made it a game. Now the next step is for us to teach them what they need to do to come out on the other end of the score. Once we do that, we will be in good shape.”