7 overtimes? Inside Peoria Quest's marathon high school basketball game

Peoria Quest played extra, extra, extra, extra, extra, extra, extra time.

The school's boys basketball team played seven overtimes on Tuesday night in a regional loss in Kewanee, tied for the seventh longest game in Illinois High School Association boys basketball history. Only two postseason games went longer.

The Gators lost to Woodhull Ridgewood, 88-83, in the semifinals of the Class 1A Wethersfield Regional.

“It was kind of madness,” Quest coach William Nickels said. “Something to behold.”

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Ridgewood's Josh Maher set the final score with a pair of free throws in the waning seconds of the final OT period, capping his 33-point output and an 8-for-8 effort from the charity stripe.

Quest trailed 84-83 when it stepped out of bounds, turning the ball over with 22.8 seconds to play. Four freebies by Maher completed the scoring.

Four Quest players fouled out, while another was sidelined with cramps, leaving Quest to finish the game with just five players. But two active Gator players were cramping so bad that they could barely move.

“They were like statues by the seventh overtime,” Nickels said.

OT after OT after OT ...

The game went to the seventh OT when Quest’s Tre Greenwood had an NBA-range 3-point from the top of the key bounced off the front of the rim. Both teams only scored two points each in the sixth overtime.

In the fifth overtime, the game saw three lead changes before Quest held for the final shot with a minute to play. However, the Gators (12-9) were unable to get off a shot.

“I never thought we’d be playing all night,” Nickels said. “I always felt like we were going to win. I always just felt like we were going to make that last shot to end it because we controlled every overtime.”

Maher came up big in the fourth overtime, hitting a 3-pointer with eight seconds left. Quest raced down the court and got the ball to Sean Lewis, who had a triple from the right wing fall short as time expired.

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After leading by two with 94 second left, Quest got the ball with 7.7 second remain and tied at 60-60. Maurice Russell’s drive hit the back of the rim and trickled out to end the third overtime.

Double-overtime featured three points each from Ridgewood (22-11) and Quest. Maher fired a half-court shot off the backboard just as the buzzer sounded.

Derrick Roddy nearly won the game for Quest in the first OT, but his jumper from the elbow struck the back of the rim to end it at 52-52.

“I didn’t even know we had went to seven overtimes until the game was over,” Nickels said. “I was just in the moment — thought it was three or four at the most.”

Quest rallied to force extra time

Quest had rallied after trailing by as many as 15 in the second half. This came after trailing 27-21 at the half, then outscored Ridgewood 26-20 in the second half to send the game to an extra four points.

Nickels says the urgency finally kicked in for his team and they started playing like they knew how to play.

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Free throws plagued Quest in the extra frames, missing nine and finishing the game just 9-for-24. Roddy scored 18 to lead Quest with Greenwood adding 17 and Kahmr Dailey 12.

Josiah Williams scored 10 points — all in the overtimes — as he hit two 3s and went 4-for-4 from the line.

Tough ending for Quest

The loss ended the prep careers for 10 Gators players.

“I’ve never really coached just ‘players’,” Nickels said. “I’ve coach them as my sons. That’s the hardest part of anything for me. Honestly, it just made me feel emotional watching their emotions.

“It going to hurt for a little while, but I think they’ll all be better from it as men.”

Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria Quest plays 7 overtimes in IHSA boys basketball regional game