Boys Basketball: Oak Forest Finds a 'Loeding' Edge

For one night, the Oak Forest boys basketball team put aside a season's worth of troubles.

Tim Loeding exploded for 24 points and the Bengals defeated Illiana Christian 74-71 in front of a big home crowd on Tuesday.

The Bengals  (3-14) made 12-of-18 free throws to seal the victory. Kyle Funkhouser scored 17 points, and Scott Korosic added 11. Illiana (9-5) was paced by Austin Vander Sluis’ 16 points and Noah Van Drunen’s 14.

“We came into this game the same way we always do," Loeding said. "Thanks to some good passes, I was able to get some open looks and split double teams."

The Bengals and Vikings kept pace with each other throughout a tense matchup. Funkhouser finished a three-point play to tie the score at 37 going into the half. Neither team had a lead larger than six points, which Illiana owned early in the third quarter at 45-39. From that point on, it was back and forth until the very end.

The second half saw four ties and four lead changes before the Bengals pulled ahead for the final time with just 3 minutes on the clock. The teams would fight tooth and nail until the final buzzer, but the Bengals' free throw shooting kept them on top.

“When I was on the line, I thought, 'If  I miss, my dad’s going to be really mad,’ and that was really good motivation,” Loeding said.

He made 4-of-7 from the line.

“Our guys are finally starting to figure it out," Oak Forest coach Matt Manzke said. "When we started the season, this is what I pictured this team to be. It took us a long time to get here, but I am glad it’s here now. We were able to push the ball and pound it inside to Loeding and Marcus Burse, but Tim (Loeding) really carried us."