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Sports
Battle to the end : Sports : Oswego Ledger-Sentinel : Hometown Newspaper for Oswego and Montgomery, IllinoisBattle to the end
| Oswego East boys' basketball team nearly upsets No. 2 Downers Grove South
| by Kristin Sharp
| 3/1/2012
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The Oswego East boys' basketball team could have bowed out of Tuesday's Class 4A Downers Grove South semifinal game trailing the No. 2-seeded Mustangs 34-25 at halftime, but the Wolves rallied to tie the scoreboard at the start of the fourth period.
Downers Grove South (22-5) hung on in the final frame to pull out a 69-68 win over Oswego East (14-14) and advance to Friday's regional final.
The Mustangs trailed for the first time in the game when Oswego East senior Kenny Battle Jr. hit a three-pointer to put the Wolves ahead 54-55 with 6:49 to play. The Mustangs reclaimed the lead (64-60) and with 2:49 on the clock, the Wolves needed to find a way to win without seniors Kalmon Stokes and Jimmy Bitner, who fouled out of the game within moments of each another.
Downers Grove South took a 65-60 lead on a free throw, but Oswego East junior CJ Vaughan followed up with a field goal to put the Wolves within three. Vaughan (15 points), made another shot off an assist from senior TJ Miller with 1:25 to play to cut the Mustangs' lead to one, 65-64.
Mustang senior Jerron Wilbuit (13 points) sank the first of two free throws after an Oswego East foul with 1:13 left to play to put Downers Grove South ahead 66-64.
Oswego East had three unsuccessful shot attempts on its next possession, but Battle, who tied his career high with 33 points, was fouled during the stretch to step to the line. He made the first, but missed the second to leave the Wolves trailing 66-65.
Downers Grove South senior Jamall Millison (26 points) put the Mustangs ahead 68-65 on a field goal with 40 seconds remaining, and Downers Grove South knocked away an Oswego East shot attempt on the opposite end of the floor.
With 18.4 seconds remaining, Oswego_East head coach Jason Buckley called his team to the bench trailing by three, but Oswego East was unable to get the ball into play, forcing the Wolves to use another timeout.
Vaughan missed a three-point attempt and junior Kendall Dorsey grabbed the rebound, but his shot was also unsuccessful.
Senior Nick Marema (15 points) committed his fifth foul in the closing seconds to put Kevin Honn at the foul line. Honn made the first of two to put the Mustangs ahead 69-65.
With 2.1 seconds left in the game, Oswego East brought the ball inbounds and Battle sank a three-pointer at the buzzer as the Wolves fell 69-68.
Downers Grove South led 16-14 after one quarter, but built a 34-25 halftime lead. Oswego East pulled within two points during the third quarter to trail 52-50 going into the final period of play.
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