The Glenbard West community came out in full force Saturday, filling Wintrust Arena with fans that let the Sierra Canyon superstars from the Los Angeles area know that Amari Bailey’s homecoming wasn’t going to be a tepid celebration.
The Hilltoppers are a local sensation, riding the talent of Braden Huff, Cade Pierce, Ryan Renfro, Paxton Warden and Bobby Durkin to a season that has captured the attention of fans across the area.
But the Trailblazers are a national power. Glenbard West doesn’t have any McDonald’s All-Americans. Sierra Canyon has two in Bailey and 6-9 Kijani Wright. That’s a big talent gap to overcome.
There were a few minutes in the third quarter when it looked as though Sierra Canyon was going to pull away, but the Hilltoppers never let that happen. The game came down to the final second.
Bailey had the ball in his hands. The score was tied, and the roaring crowd was on its feet. Bailey drove and passed to Dylan Metoyer in the corner. Metoyer’s three-pointer beat the buzzer and went in, lifting the Trailblazers to a 67-64 victory and crushing the hopes of more than 9,000 Glenbard West fans.
‘‘I knew the attention was going to be on me,’’ Bailey said. ‘‘They’d been doing a good job collapsing on me and drawing charges and fouls. [Metoyer] had been hitting shots for us all night, and I had faith in him. That’s the cherry on top of the crib. I’m so proud of my guys.’’
Bailey, a Chicago native-turned-Los Angeles celebrity, lived up to his ranking as the No. 2 player in the country. It was a treat every time he touched the ball, and he finished with 19 points to lead Sierra Canyon.
Junior Bronny James, LeBron James’ son, made six three-pointers and scored 18. Jeremiah Nyarko, a 6-8 senior, gave the Hilltoppers fits in the post defensively and finished with 11 rebounds.
‘‘That was such a tough game,’’ Huff said. ‘‘It’s hard to lose like that at the finish, but I’m so proud of the guys and the way we fought through everything.’’
Huff scored 13 points to lead a balanced effort by Glenbard West. Durkin and Renfro each added 12 points and five rebounds and Pierce 11 points. The Hilltoppers were 11 of 20 from the free-throw line.
The Glenbard West student section was focused on Bailey and James throughout the game, chanting, ‘‘Drake’s your daddy,’’ to Bailey, whose mother used to date the famous rapper.
Bailey and James walked over to the Glenbard West students after the game, waved and applauded.
‘‘Much respect to all the Glenbard West fans for giving me a good time when I came back home,’’ Bailey said. ‘‘I appreciate them.’’
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Sierra Canyon led by three points at halftime, and Bailey scored the first six points of the third quarter. The Trailblazers led 45-33 after Bailey’s dunk with 6:17 left in the third.
The Hilltoppers (26-1) trailed 64-58 before Huff made two free throws and a three-pointer to pull Glenbard West to 64-63. Warden then split two free throws to tie the score and set up the game-winner.
‘‘I have the utmost respect for Glenbard West,’’ Bailey said. ‘‘Braden showed out. He’s a hell of a player. I can’t wait to play him when we are in college.’’
Bailey is committed to UCLA and Huff to Gonzaga.
