J.J. Douglas scored a game-winning putback basket to lift Janesville Parker past Racine Case in a 72-71 nonconference boys basketball victory in Racine on Thursday.
Tied 70-70 with 18 seconds to go, Case’s Termarion Brumby received a high-ball screen. Douglas did his job on the screen by hedging but was called for tripping with 5.8 seconds left. Brumby made his first free throw but missed the second.
Down 71-70, Parker’s Jeff Rowin received the ball on an inbound pass near halfcourt. He missed a 3-point try to win it, but Douglas cleaned up the miss. Douglas shot through a foul to make his game-winning basket as the buzzer sounded.
“I can’t say enough about J.J.,” Parker coach Matt Bredesen said. “Every game we play, everyone knows he is our guy, and he still plays at a really high level. The tip-in at the end was sheer will and determination not to lose. He’s a competitor.”
Parker trailed Case (3-4 overall, 3-1 Southeast Conference) by nine nearing the break but rebounded to cut their halftime deficit to just 33-31.
“In the first half we got down 26-17 then went to a trapping zone and finished the half on a 14-7 run,” Bredesen said. “I credit the change in defense and the intensity it brought with kind of steadying us.”
Douglas led the Vikings (2-7, 0-6 Big Eight) with 28 points. Jeff Rowin scored 18 and Antonie Jarrett pitched in with 10 points.
“Good contributions from Jeff Rowin tonight,” Bredesen said. “He’s a guy who had a great game against La Follette earlier this year. Tonight was another time when he really stepped up for us.”
After claiming their second win in a row, the Vikings will keep working as they wait for Jan. 4 for a Big Eight game at Madison West.
“We continue to struggle a bit with pressure,” Bredesen said. “While we are slowly getting better, it is something we really need to focus on over Christmas.”
JANESVILLE PARKER 72, RACINE CASE 71
Parker 31 41 — 72
Case 33 38 — 71
Janesville Parker (pts) — JJ Douglas 28, Rowin 18, Jarrett 10, Skryzpchak 7, Kim 7, Jjaquari Douglas 2.
Racine Case (pts) — Brumby 17, Copage 17, Bull 12, Robinson 8, Hicks 5, Farr 5, Lewis 4, Mudgett 2, Williams 1.
