Perseverance has been the motto for Gilmour this season. And that was on full display against VASJ on Feb. 4.
Down their two leading scorers David Pfundstein and Zac Titas, the Lancers had to turn elsewhere after VASJ started the fourth quarter strong. Nick Iliano and Ky Jackson helped get the Lancers within two.
But the biggest shot came from junior Anthony Atkinson. Off an inbounds, Gilmour moved the ball around and Brady Olsen found Atkinson open for a corner 3-pointer with eight seconds left to take the lead.
The Vikings last shot fell short and the Lancers took a 75-74 victory.
Gilmour (12-7) started the game at a little slower pace than normal, figuring out the style of VASJ (9-9) and tried to match. But the tempo changed time and again.
Neither team amassed a lead of more than 10 points but Gilmour started to build up a lead before the half. The Lancers had Iliano convert an and-1 attempt and a Ky Jackson 3-pointer to take a 33-30 lead.
But the Vikings’ Sean Shenker hit a corner 3 and a floater to take a 35-33 advantage at the break. Gilmour coach Dan DeCrane believed, though, his team didn’t need to overadjust.
“We were in a little bit of a different sub pattern there,” DeCrane said. “We didn’t close out hard enough, he hit the corner 3 right in front of us and that was my fault. I just thought the whole night we did a good job of responding to runs. We’ve dealt with that a lot the past couple weeks. Both sides are going to make plays and mistakes.”
Gilmour came out of the half swinging, as Iliano hit a pair of 3-pointers and took the lead back as part of an 8-3 run to open the half.
But VASJ countered as Jayveon Roe hit a transition layup and two big 3’s from Julian Council tied the game at 54 going to the fourth.
Iliano remained calm and his teammates sensed that demeanor from the senior.
“Our game plan is to always detect what the defense is,” Iliano said. “Then that will open up the shots. We did a decent job of that early on. Our mentality is always next man up. We knew it wasn’t a worry situation. We just needed to execute.”
Yet VASJ continued to push the Lancers. The Vikings opened the fourth on a 7-0 run, fueled by Lorenzo and Frankie Oriani using on ball pressure for steals and a block from Antonio Brown.
But Gilmour battled back in as Jackson hit another 3-pointer and a pair of Mikey Holt free throws made it a 63-61 lead for VASJ.
But Council stole the ball off the inbounds to stall the comeback attempt. But the Lancers continued to push and the teams countered free throws and layups down the stretch.
Jackson struck again with 40.8 seconds left. Off a missed 3-pointer from Iliano, Jackson grabbed the rebound, dribbled beyond the arc and hit a 3-pointer that made it a 74-72 deficit.
With two of their three-year starters out, the Lancers needed everyone to step up. While Iliano had another strong showing with 28, Olsen added 18, Jackson had 12 and Atkinson had eight.
Up 74-72, the Vikings brought the ball up court but Iliano knocked the ball loose and Atkinson grabbed it before it went out of bounds. Brayden Titas went up for a layup but Council bumped into him, also hitting the ball before it went out for the ball to stay with the Lancers.
Atkinson backed into the corner during the inbounds and waited. When Olsen kicked the ball to him, he was more than ready for the shot.
“I think Brayden was fouled on the play before the inbound, but it was a blessing in disguise,” Atkinson said. “Brady hit a great pass to me and I hit it. That’s the story I have. I don’t know how it went in, but it did.”
Iliano added: “We always have confidence in our shooters. We’re always confident. Everyone trusts everyone in those situations, and we can all hit the big shots. We were confident no matter who’s got the ball in their hands.”
VASJ had a chance to tie or take the lead on the final possession. Off the inbounds, the Vikings had the ball go to their end of the court but went out of bounds but off a Gilmour player.
With three seconds left, Martin inbounded to Brown, but his jumper caught the rim and bounced off. He had 14 points, while Council added 14 and Martin ahd 12.
Despite the loss, Coach Ashen Ward knows with a load of younger players being in big-game situations, that will help VASJ not just this postseason but for years to come.
“The guys really wanted to win this one,” Ward said. “The energy off the bench was great. The guys know when their number is called, it’s always an opportunity. It’s just unfortunate that we weren’t able to sustain that all through the game. I thought the effort was there, it was more the execution and discipline.”
VASJ travels to Cleveland JFK on Feb. 7, aiming to get back in the win column. Gilmour also hits the road on the same day and travels to Benedictine.
THE SCORE (FEB. 4)
Gilmour 75, VASJ 74
