In a game as low-scoring as the one between District 230 rivals Andrew and Stagg on Jan. 9, no possessions could be wasted.
Even ones that started with less than a second on the clock.
Malik Mahmoud made the most of that one right before halftime, catching an inbound pass with 0.9 seconds remaining before halftime and burying a 3-pointer.
The junior guard hit another 3-pointer coming out of the break and finished with a game-high 15 points as the Thunderbolts shut down the Chargers 41-28.
Ryan Dinnon, a 6-7 junior, hit two early 3-pointers of his own and just missed a double-double for Andrew (8-10, 2-5 SouthWest Suburban). He had 10 points and nine rebounds, while freshman Titus Payton, who made his varsity debut on Dec. 17, contributed seven points, five rebounds and two steals.
Mahmoud said he improvised the basket right before halftime.
“We ran a play, it wasn’t there so I got it and just had to throw it up,” he said.
The shot went in, like most of his have been lately.
“In the beginning of the game I missed a few, but I never let that get to me,” Mahmoud said. “Just keep going, keep shooting. I know it’s gonna go in, and my coaches and teammates instill confidence in me.”
Thunderbolts coach Justin Stirn isn’t surprised by Mahmoud’s scoring.
“He’s actually shot the ball pretty well this year,” Stirn said. “… He’s got a lot of confidence shooting the ball right now, which you can’t teach a kid. But he’s got it.”
Mahmoud also was part of a lockdown defensive effort for Andrew, which held Stagg (10-6, 2-3) to its second-lowest point total of the season.
“That is easily the best defensive game we’ve played all year long,” Stirn said. “It was one of those (things) where we came out of Christmas and we knew we had some stuff to work on, mostly defensively.”
There wasn’t anything fancy about Andrew’s approach to shutting down Stagg, according to Mahmoud.
“Honestly, just straight man-to-man,” he said. “Our coach preaches it all the time: defense, defense, defense. So we really locked in on it all we can in practice and we executed.”
Looking to rebound
Coming off a one-win season, Stagg won a Thanksgiving tournament at Reavis and was 10-1 after winning its opener at York’s Jack Tosh Holiday Tournament.
But the Chargers hit a rough patch, losing their last three games at York and dropping conference games to Lockport and Andrew to start the new year.
Mo Farhan had 10 points and six rebounds against the Thunderbolts.
“They were able to pressure the ball really well and we just didn’t really use that pressure to our advantage,” Stagg coach Marty Strus said. “We kind of backed off from it and that’s what happens. …
“We’ve got good kids and they’ll keep showing up and keep fighting and we’ll get it. It’s just the ups and downs of the season. … Obviously want to be playing your best in February and we’re definitely not at our best right now. So we hope that’s coming.”