Naperville Central junior Cooper Page was a statistical afterthought until the final few seconds of the game Monday night.
Then he had the last word.
Page, a 5-foot-11 guard, had attempted only one shot and was scoreless when he grabbed a loose ball near the Redhawks’ basket and was fouled with 1.3 seconds remaining. He stepped to the free-throw line with his team clinging to a one-point lead against Bradley-Bourbonnais.
“First one, I was just trying to knock it down,” said Page, who did just that. “They called timeout, and we got in the huddle.
“Coach was like, ‘Miss on purpose.’ That’s definitely the right call so they can’t set anything up.”
Page did as he was told, firing the ball off the rim. Bradley Bourbonnais junior forward Liam Martin got the rebound and chucked the ball the length of the court. It sailed over the backboard, and the host Redhawks had a 50-48 upset victory.
Page said it was the first time he’d ever been asked to deliberately miss a free throw.
“If that’s how we’re going to win the game, yeah, I’ll do it,” he said.
That’s the thing about Page and his teammates. They’ll do anything they can to win, even in the face of overwhelming odds.
“I don’t know what to say about him other than he makes big plays,” Naperville Central coach Mike Wilson said of Page. “He rebounds above his size. He always seems to have a timely steal, a timely good pass.
“We trust him implicitly. He’s going to be in big moments, and he’s going to make the right play in big moments, and I thought a lot of the other guys did too.”
Junior guard TJ Hillman scored seven of his team-high 12 points in the fourth quarter, including back-to-back layups to give Naperville Central (4-5) a 49-46 lead. Hillman also had six rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Page finished with three steals, three rebounds and two assists, but statistics didn’t tell the whole story. The stat sheet doesn’t measure his hustle or toughness.
“Cooper has been a big part,” Naperville Central junior forward Nate Abrahamson said. “He started (the season) coming off the bench, and he earned a spot in the starting lineup.
“He works his butt off every day in practice, diving for loose balls. I mean, you should see his knees. He’s got bruises everywhere.”
Page took several big hits while helping to guard and rebound against the Boilermakers’ 6-11 senior center Nick Allen, including a nasty fall on which Page landed on his elbow and back.
The effort was necessary because the Redhawks had a massive size disadvantage against Allen, an Illinois State recruit who finished with 25 points and 16 rebounds. Ten of his rebounds came on the offensive end.
But Allen had to work hard for everything he got. He could have had more, making just 7 of 22 shots and 11 of 18 free throws.
“I give him credit because he took a beating today but he kept coming at us,” Wilson said. “He’s a really tough player, and I’m glad he’s not in our conference.”
Allen scored five points as the Boilermakers opened with a 12-2 run, but Wilson’s throw-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink strategy eventually paid off.
The Redhawks gave 6-2 senior forward Daniel Nussbaum his first career start and had him guard Allen. Nussbaum got plenty of help from Abrahamson, junior forward Evan Moss, junior center Casey Cooperkawa and senior center Alex Epps, who made his varsity debut.
“We knew coming into it we had to play tough ‘D’ with their big guy,” Page said. “It wasn’t a one-man guy on him. Everyone had to come down and help, and everyone on the bench brought their defense, talking and hustling. Everyone did their part.”
Indeed, 11 players got into the game for the Redhawks, and all contributed.
Page had only one point, but he didn’t care. He helped Naperville Central get the win, and he has the bruises to prove it.
How was Page going to celebrate?
“Go home and ice up,” he said.
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
