Brother Rice guard Jim Barista was about as irrelevant as a player can be for most of regulation Thursday night during a Hinsdale South Tournament quarterfinal against Schaumburg.
Barista changed quickly with 4.5 seconds left in regulation. He then changed that dramatically with 6.0 seconds left in the first overtime. The 5-foot-9 senior tied the game on a layup forcing the first overtime, then hit a three-pointer to force the second overtime.
He scored the first two points on free throws in the second overtime, giving the Crusaders their first lead since 5-4, and the lead for good during a frenetic 82-73 double-overtime win. The Crusaders (9-2) will meet St. Patrick in a semifinal at 7:45 p.m. Friday.
“I wanted the ball,” said Barista, who finished with 13 points. “I felt I had a good chance of making those shots. Two years ago we had a five-overtime game in which I hit a few clutch shots, but we lost. This ranks higher than that because we won.”
Barista’s heroics overshadowed the play of teammate Alex Majewski, who had 33 points to lead the Crusaders, including 10 in the fourth quarter to help rally his team back.
Source: SouthtownStar | Bill Harrison
