Tempo is everything in the game of basketball. Some teams want to push it while others play better slowing it down.

Homewood-Flossmoor allowed visiting SouthWest Suburban Conference rival Lincoln-Way Central to dictate the speed of play for much of a Feb. 3 game. That turned around in the fourth quarter.

“We want to play with pace. That’s our niche, and over the course of the game, we feel like that’s more of our style of play,” coach Brandin Brown said. “The first half it was their style, more methodical on both ends of the floor. The message at halftime was ‘Hey, we got to turn this into our game.’ We did that in the fourth quarter.”

The Knights led for most of the second and third quarters but the Vikings dropped 29 points in that final frame to pull out a 61-55 win. 

“I feel like our coaches prepare us a lot for moments like this, especially in the fourth quarter,” junior Jeff Cade said. “We had to put it all together.” 

Cade came up big in the fourth quarter to help H-F secure the victory. With just under seven minutes left in the game, he hit an important 3-pointer to put the Vikings in the lead. He completed an old-fashioned 3-point play a couple minutes later and then made a pair of free throws with 1:14 remaining to assist in icing the game. 

He even grabbed a couple vital rebounds. Brown said Cade’s extra time on the court while guard Darrius Hawkins Jr. and Danny Ruffin were injured a couple weeks earlier is paying dividends. 

“Yes, sir. (Cade’s) been proving it at practice this week,” Hawkins said. “He’s been showing us that he can take those shots and make those shots. We’re confident that he can come out here and make those same shots, especially on the home court.” 

Cade came off the bench and played more minutes than in any other game this season. Brown said Cade and Samuel Carter played extra minutes in the second half as part of an adjustment aimed at speeding the game.

“They’ve both been doing a really good job, even Saturday (in a win over Loyola) but in practice, as well,” Brown said. “I thought the game just dictated it. That was probably a lineup we haven’t gone to at all this year but we thought that they could deliver in that game. I got to give them all the credit in the world because they did.” 

It was Hawkins who took over in the second half, though. The sophomore, whom Cade called “the best point guard in the state,” was calling for the ball and looking to make something happen. He led all scorers with 24 points but also had eight assists and four steals. Ruffin scored 10 and had five rebounds while Marvin Douglas added eight and five for the Vikings.

“I’m now in the position where the team goes as I go,” Hawkins said. “I just have to make sure I’m there for them and whatever it takes to win, I’ll do.” 

Most of that production was in the second half. Hawkins, just a sophomore, was looking for his own shot while also facilitating shots for teammates outside of the usual offense. The Knights (16-8, 8-4) struggled to stay in front of him.

“Him in that situation for us, we’re going to live with it because he has the ability not only to make plays for himself but also for others,” Brown said. “It’s important for us to win and execute in different ways and that’s what we needed tonight. For Darrius, we may need him to make plays in the playoffs because we may get into a situation where we get stagnant and we can go back to this game because he’s had to do it.” 

The win allowed the Vikings (21-3, 11-1) to stay in front of the conference race with three more SWSC games to go.

LWC had three players finish in double figures, led by Nick Brzezniak’s 15.