Dereon Smothers is just a sophomore, but the T.F. North guard has wisdom and composure beyond his years, which he demonstrated throughout a wild game Friday night.
Smothers played as a freshman on varsity last season at Plainfield South, so he felt ready for a big role in his first year with the Meteors.
“I learned last year that it’s about being strong, being more aggressive,” Smothers said. “You can’t be weak out there. You have to stay composed.
“We could have fell apart (Friday) once we started losing, but I just focused on staying strong and playing my game.”
Smothers was certainly ready for the moment. He rebounded his own missed 3-pointer and hit a 15-foot runner at the buzzer to give T.F. North a 62-61 overtime win over host Lockport in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Smothers poured in 26 points to lead the Meteors (15-12). Demarco King finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, Cortice Howse added seven points and Nasir English had six points.
Collin Miller paced Lockport (19-12) with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Izeyah Pruitt scored 10 points, Nojus Venckus added nine and Bryce Turner chipped in with seven.
T.F. North trailed 61-60 in the final seconds when Smothers missed a 3-pointer. He tracked down the long rebound and hit a running jumper from near the free-throw line as the buzzer sounded.
“I knew I was taking the last shot,” Smothers said. “I knew it was going to find its way back into my arms and I’d been hot all night. I ended up missing, but you’ve got to stay through the play.
“I ended up getting the board and hitting the buzzer-beater.”
Talk about an unforgettable moment.
“It felt great,” Smothers said. “Seeing the clock expire and knowing we won, it was amazing. I’ve never had a buzzer-beater like that. It’s definitely a great experience to get one out there.
“It means a lot to me.”
King, a fellow sophomore guard, was confident Smothers would deliver.
“That’s my dog,” King said. “We’ve been doing this since we were kids. I knew he was going to do something. That’s why he got the ball. Big players make big-time plays.”
And as far as King is concerned, Smothers comes up big in every way.
“He does everything,” King said. “He takes a lot of pressure off me. He can handle it, shoot, rebound, play defense, all of it. And he’s a great teammate.”
T.F. North overcame a stunning end to regulation. Leading 55-53, the Meteors inbounded the ball in the frontcourt with two seconds left, but threw an errant inbound pass into the backcourt.
Venckus intercepted it and raced to the basket for a game-tying layup at the buzzer.
But T.F. North — which played three sophomores and a freshman — bounced back. It was much to the delight of coach Tim Bankston.
“Those are young mistakes and they’re going to make them,” Bankston said. “But I told them to stick together and play hard and they did that.”
Smothers led the way.
“What has impressed me about him is the way he’s playing more aggressively,” Bankston said of Smothers. “Now, he can make coach really happy if he can get eight or 10 rebounds a game.
Smothers said he’s learned a lot from Bankston and has enjoyed his first season at T.F. North.
“It’s been great coming over here,” he said. “It’s been a lot more intense. Coach Bankston has us playing a whole new scheme that he wants us to get used to.”
Smothers also has made a huge impression on his new teammates. Just ask freshman forward Kahari Ali about him.
“He’s the GOAT,” Ali said.