Mount Carmel freshman guard Ronald Johnson grabbed the rebound and was gone up the court.
The Caravan trailed 41-40 against rival Brother Rice in the closing seconds, but there was no panic.
Johnson had a plan as the seconds ticked off in his head.
That plan sure came together.
Johnson scored the game-winning basket on a little floater in the lane with 4.6 seconds remaining to help lift Mount Carmel to a 42-41 victory on Feb. 13 over host Brother Rice in the Catholic League Blue.
“I already had the clock in my head with how many seconds were left,” Johnson said. “I’m just trying to create the best shot possible. The defense played me weird, so I took advantage. Once I got past him, I knew I was making it. Nothing crazy.”
Johnson finished with 12 points and five rebounds for the Caravan (17-10, 5-3 through last week).
Sophomore Marshaun Thornton (13 points, two steals), junior Logan Wessel (nine points, six rebounds) and freshman Da’Kylen “DK” Heard (six points, five rebounds) also contributed.
Senior Joe Niego (12 points, seven rebounds) and junior Adam McBrearty (10 points, six rebounds) led Brother Rice (20-10, 3-5).
Mount Carmel trailed 41-40 with 10 seconds left. The Crusaders missed two free throws with Johnson corralling the long rebound.
The athletic 6-3 guard raced up the court for the winner. After a timeout, Brother Rice senior Zach Grabowski’s 3-point try from the corner at the buzzer came up just short.
Mount Carmel had lost at the buzzer on Feb. 6 at St. Ignatius.
“You learn just the competiveness we have to bring every game,” Johnson said. “We played super hard (against Ignatius), but they hit a lucky shot. We need to compete from the beginning to end of the game no matter who we’re facing.”
Johnson has come on strong for the Caravan, both as a scorer and as a facilitator.
“From where Ronald was at Thanksgiving to now, he’s a completely different player,” Mount Carmel coach Phil Segroves said. “He’s learned so much transitioning from eighth grade and AAU to varsity basketball. He takes info in like an 18- or 20-year-old, listens and asks questions. His basketball IQ is extremely high for a 15-year-old.”
Thornton said Johnson has been a great point guard for the team.
“Ronald is just crazy,” Thornton said. “Having him step up and do what he does, it’s so good to see him step up and make winning plays. It’s all building blocks.”
Johnson hit six clutch free throws in a Jan. 9 win at Loyola, but he didn’t have anything like a last-second winner.
“This feels amazing,” Johnson said. “The season has been going great for the team. Mine too. We want to prove people wrong. It’s a great way to start off my high-school career. I’m happy how I’m developing as a player.”
Host Mount Carmel earned a No. 4 seed in a Class 4A sectional.
Brother Rice earned a No. 4 seed at the Class 4A Joliet West Sectional.
Rice coach Rick Romeli liked how his team battled in an intense game.
“It was definitely a playoff-like atmosphere,” Romeli said. “We made a couple plays to build a lead and made a couple mistakes. The little things make a big difference for us going forward.”
Br. Rice led 38-33 with 5:41 left in the game.
“Our team has come a long way since June,” Romeli said. “We had a lot of inexperienced guys who took steps this fall. From our loss to Thornwood in the opener to now, it’s definitely a big improvement.”