Three ball nets Giants a big win in Tosh Holiday Classic

For Highland Park basketball, a shot doesn’t belong to the player who takes it. It belongs to the team.

So when junior Zach Baum passed up a good look in the first half on Monday morning, he was not being selfless.

“Every shot we take is our shot, not your shot,” Giants coach Ross Deutsch said. “We run inside-out and kick out for threes, and we want our guys to shoot those. So when they pass up shots, they are thinking about ‘me.’ We want them thinking about ‘we.’ That is our shot.”

Deutsch reminded Baum of that mantra on Monday, and the junior guard proceeded to drill 4-of-6 three-pointers en route to 14 points off the bench in a dramatic 46-42 Highland Park win over Yorkville on Dec. 29 in the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic at York Township High School in Elmhurst.

The junior guard said he’s struggled with his shot so far this season. But once he got the confidence boost from his coach on Monday, he let it fly.

“Coach called a timeout and told me to shoot the ball and it gave me a lot of confidence to knock down the next one that I saw,” he said. “… It gives you so much confidence when you make one. It gets you into the rhythm of the game and gets your teammates involved and gives everyone energy.”

The Giants overcame a challenging start that saw them hit just one of their first 13 shots and score just four points in the first quarter.

Thanks to their defense (10 forced turnovers in the first half), Highland Park remained within striking distance. That strike came via a 14-4 run in the second quarter that gave the Giants a lead they never relinquished.

Deutsch said his team’s quick and spirited 1-2-2 zone defense makes up for some of the team’s shortcomings.

“It neutralizes our deficits athletically and size-wise,” he said. “We try to score off our D, create turnovers. … I give our guys credit. Our assistant coaches do a phenomenal job with the scouting reports.”

Highland Park built its lead to nine in the second half, but late in the fourth quarter, Yorkville cut Highland Park’s lead to one, 38-37.

Then, Baum got free and sank a clutch three to provide some breathing room. He followed that moment with another, stealing the ball and starting a possession that ended in another three, this time from Gray Kanter (team-high 17 points), with 25 seconds to play.

Senior Evan Mintzer, who struggled from the field but tallied team-highs in rebounds (5) and assists (7), converted two free throws to cinch the victory for Highland Park.

The Giants shot 47.6% (10 of 21) from the three-point arc and 71.4% (10 of 14) from the free-throw line to make up from a difficult night around the basket (23%, or 3 of 13, on two-point shots).

The victory followed two Tosh losses for the Giants, who fell 58-46 to St. Ignatius in their opener Friday, Dec. 26, and then 66-58 to Oswego on Saturday, Dec. 27.

Close losses have been a theme for 3-10 Highland Park in the early going. The Giants lost in overtime to Taft on Dec. 13, by six points (58-52) to league foe Maine East, and by two points (58-56) to Payton Prep on Nov. 29.

The Giants are coming off a 20-win campaign but graduated 12 seniors, including three multi-year starters. Simon Moschin, the program’s all-time leading scorer (1,415 points), was among them.

This season, Highland Park’s roster is loaded with juniors like Kanter and Baum while seniors like Mintzer, David Isaacson and Asher Blitz add experience to the rotation. Junior forward Peter Dimitriou and junior guard Max Stevens saw plenty of time in the win against Yorkville.

Kanter has taken over the scoring mantle from Moschin and is so far averaging 21 points per game. In the Tosh, he scored 27 against St. Ignatius and 17 against Oswego.

“He has been such a pleasant surprise,” Deutsch said. “He has a snap-quick release, very deep range, tremendous confidence, and he’s starting to get noticed.

“He wants to be a college basketball player. He’s going to be a college basketball player.”

The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.

Become a member of The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.

Already a member? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.