Winning shot dedicated to Frigo, as Lowell beats Highland 45-43

A USA-365.com Special Report By Mark Smith
12-4-2006

Saturday, 12-2-2006 at Highland, IN - Lake Athletic Conference opener

LOWELL (45)  Josh Kuiper 6-0-14, Aaron Corns 4-1-9, Eli Macis 2-0-5, Mike Weiand 6-3-17, Robert Cusic 0-0-0, Nate Korth 0-0-0, Ted Macis 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 18 (2-9) 45.

HIGHLAND (43)  Glenn Durocher 2-0-4, Bryan Wiseman 2-0-5, Nick Cianci 6-2-14, AJ Fletcher 1-0-3, Matt Bugajski 2-0-6, Nick Panousis 3-4-11, Adam Musielak 0-0-0, Josh Minch 0-0-0.  TOTALS: 16 (6-9) 43.

FREE THROWS:  LOWELL (2-9, 22.2%)  Cusic 0-2, Kuiper 0-3, Corns 1-2, Weiand 1-2;  HIGHLAND (6-9, 66.6%) Panousis 4-6, Cianci 2-3.

REBOUNDS:  LOWELL (14) Weiand 6, Corns 2, Cusic 2, Kuiper 2, Korth, Eli Macis;  HIGHLAND (20) Cianci 7, Wisemann 6, Bugajski 3, Durocher 2, Musielak, Fletcher.

ASSISTS:  LOWELL (10) Cusic 4, Kuiper 2, Korth 2, Corns 2;  HIGHLAND (8) Bugajski 2, Panousis, Durocher, Cianci, Musielak, Fletcher, Wisemann.

3-GOALS:  LOWELL (7) Mike Weiand 4, Josh Kuiper 2, Eli Macis.  HIGHLAND (5) Matt Bugajaski 2, Nick Panousis, Bryan Wisemann, AJ Fletcher.

HIGHLAND, IN (12-2-2006) - In the overall scheme of things, the question as to whether this game should have been played was answered twice.  By the same guy.  With the clock running out, Lowell trailed by one point and little left in what had been a very long, hard week, Lowell's Eli Macis fired up a wide open 22-foot shot off the right wing.  With everybody in the Highland gym watching, the ball went in perfectly as time ran out giving Lowell a 45-43 victory.

That was a sign.  The other sign came twenty minutes after the game when Macis came out of the locker room.

Lowell's Aaron Corns #52 and coach Chris Jusevitch react to Eli Macis' winning shot with 3-seconds left in the Devils 45-43 win.	Lowell players pile onto Eli Macis after his 22-foot shot clinched the win at Highland, 12-2-06.  (All photos by Mark Smith.)
It was an emotional week for Lowell, which lost classmate and football player Dean Frigo in a fatal car accident Nov. 30.  Lowell junior forward Jake Kerwin #50 and Eli Macis #24 shake hands with Highland players after their come-from-behind 45-43 victory, 12-2-06.
Highland's junior guard Matt Bugajski #12 is defended by Lowell's junior guard Robert Cusic #12 in a Lake (Black Division) Conference game at Highland, 12-2-06.
The Red Devils' senior forward Mike Weiand #32 led all scorers with 17 points in Lowell's 45-43 win over Highland.  (All Photos by Mark Smith.)

"This one was for Dean Frigo,  he said, without being asked about his junior classmate.  "Put that in the paper.  This one was for Dean Frigo."

In a week that will be remembered for the death of Frigo, a Lowell varsity football player, in a car accident Thursday, the aftermath will also be remembered for Macis' game-winning shot on Saturday.  Had Lowell postponed the game, which some said they should have, there would have been no shot.  Had there been no shot, Macis would not have been able to say what he wanted to say to somebody who would write it down.  It didn't have to work out that way, but it did.

"I haven't been talking to them about it," said Lowell coach Mike Magley, of the fatal accident.  "It's tough to lose somebody, but I've got to be the diversion for them."

Macis' shot was a diversion, a sign and maybe a boost for a program that very much wants to move up in the Lake Athletic Conference in a year when that seems very possible.

The game-winning shot capped a 14-5 run in the last 3 1/2 minutes that gave the Red Devils their first win over Highland in five seasons.  In a patient, well-played game, Highland edged ahead 12-7 and 17-12 in the second quarter on the shooting of senior Nick Panousis and Matt Bugajski.

The Red Devils closed the game towards a 21-21 tie with 5:12 to go in the third period, but the strong inside play of 6-4 senior Nick Cianci boosted Highland (0-2) to a 29-23 lead late in the third quarter.  Two three-point field goals by Josh Kuiper started a rally that pulled Lowell to within 38-36 with 2:25 left in the game.  Cianci scored on an offensive rebound to make it 41-36 with 1:55 left.  But back-to-back three-point baskets by Mike Weiand off set plays put Lowell ahead 42-41 with 55 seconds to play.

Cianci grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled with 21 seconds left and the Highland senior hit two free throws after a time out to put the Trojans ahead.  Lowell called a time out.  The play was set to go to Weiand, Lowell's 6-3 leading scorer again, but Highland had had enough of that.  It appeared the Devils had no shot, when they reversed the ball to Macis, in front of the Lowell bench.

"The play got messed up," Weiand said later.  "He just took the shot.  He was something like 2-of-10 for the game."

Magley said he didn't want a time out.

"I thought they were just as disorganized as we were," he said.  "I thought they maybe did not know what to do.  What was nice was that different guys carried us.  They didn't know who to cover.  We've all got more confidence than we had last year."

Macis sank the game-winning shot and was then mobbed as he ran to the other end of the court.

"I was just standing out there waiting for the ball to come," said Eli Macis, whose twin brother Ted also plays regularly for the Devils now.  "I just said when I got I, I was going to shoot it.  I was looking at the clock.  The clocks are above the basket here.  I knew the ball was coming.  I was off the whole game tonight.  But when I got it, I was going to shoot it.  There's no messing around this year.  We're going to be winning."

The narrow win hid the fact that, against a team that did not press, Lowell did not commit a turnover in the second half.  And a Red Devil team that could not shoot any better than Dick Cheney last season, hit seven three-point baskets.  Bishop Noll (2-1), a big test, is next, this Friday (Dec. 9) but things appear to be looking up.

"It's nice for these young man to have some success," said Magley.  "It's the team working together.  Coach (Chris) Jusevitch and coach (Pete) Weiand are working hard with them in practice.  The defense was something we thought we could improve on them and we go hard on them.  We don't feel sorry for them in practice because nobody's going to feel sorry for you when come out on the court."

For a few minutes late Saturday and a brief bus ride back to the real world, nobody had to feel sorry for Lowell at all.

DEVIL NOTES:  Highland had won six consecutive games from Lowell since the Devils won 42-39 on Jan. 15, 2002.  Lowell's last 3-0 start came when the Devils were 5-0 in November and December of 2003.  Lowell finished at 8-13 that season.  Lowell has not had a winning season in 13 years.

Mike Magley had Dean Frigo in his class.

"He played basketball last year.  Didn't come out this year, but he was in my class," recalled Magley.  "He was a great young man.  Had a smile on his face.  He was competitive.  He'd really get mad when he wanted to win."

"When you win, people tell you how good you are and it feels good," said Magley.  "And these guys have all been around for awhile and it's good for them to get that.  They've worked hard and they've tried to do things the right way."

Eli Macis' brother Ted was not 100% sold that Eli would hit that game-wining shot when he got the ball with about three seconds to play.

"I was saying time out," Ted admitted later.  "He was off all night.  I was saying, call time."

JV coach Pete Weiand was worried after the game wining shot went in.

"I thought there was more time on the clock, he said. "But I don't think Highland ever signaled.  I was looking everywhere and then the referees ran off the floor."

Highland assistant coach Noel Alvarado said, "I thought there might have been time left, but the referees ran off the floor.  We weren't sure.  We had the lead.  We just missed some shots at the end and they made some."

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Revised: December 04, 2006 .