The net Tyquone Greer wore around his neck complemented the smile he wore on his face Tuesday.
At center court after Orr’s 71-68 victory against North Chicago at the Class 3A Hoffman Estates Supersectional, Greer’s teammates chanted “Tyquone” over and again.
Seconds earlier, Greer hit the winning shot, a 3-pointer from the right baseline with 3 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Kurt Hall missed a 3-point attempt for North Chicago at the buzzer.
Greer’s only points on his only attempt from the field sent the Spartans to state for the second straight season.
The moment arrived nine days after Greer took a bullet in his calf at a late-night party. He didn’t play in the sectional semifinal and appeared for about a minute during Friday’s final against Fenwick.
“This could have been our last game and I wanted to make my presence felt,” Greer said. “For me to take that shot, God planned it for me because he has some better stuff for me. I knew I was going to make it. I was very confident.
“My leg was still kind of shaky, but this could have been our last game so I wanted to be out there. If we lost, I wanted to make sure that I was on the court with my team. That’s all that really mattered.”