But when the chips were down in the biggest game of the season last night, it was freshman Nick Kellogg and sophomore Zak Gaborcik who made the key plays, lifting the Stallions to a 64-61 victory over visiting Hartley that wrapped up at least a share of the Central Catholic League championship.

"It wasn’t our sharpest game of the season," said Alex Kellogg, a 6-foot-7 forward who had 18 points and eight rebounds. "We had some defensive lapses and we never seemed to be able to put them away when we got a lead. People stepped up, and that made the difference tonight."

Kellogg’s kid brother, who shows uncanny poise, responded with 16 points and five assists. Early in the season, he seemed content just to blend in with his teammates.

"We always knew Nick was a very competitive kid, but he’s maturing right before our eyes and has taken it upon himself to find opportunities to attack at the right time," DeSales coach Blair Albright said.

Ditto for Gaborcik, who made the most of his limited time off the bench. In a span of 3:20 in the third and fourth quarters, Gaborcik hit three three-point shots, boosting the Stallions’ lead from 43-42 to 56-46.

"Really, Gaborcik hitting those threes probably was the difference in the game," Hartley coach Randy Kortokrax said. "We knew he could shoot, but when you’re concentrating on all their other great players, you tend to lose a kid like that. We also knew about the younger Kellogg. We consciously tried to make him beat us and he came through."

Albright has insisted since preseason that the supporting cast of the "Big Three" would hold the key to the Stallions returning to the Division II state tournament.

"Nick getting more involved, Zak knocking down those shots and (7-1 junior) Sean Hobbs making a difference inside ... all those things add a huge dynamic to this team," he said.

Allen added 12 points and nine rebounds for DeSales (15-3, 8-0), which is seeking its first back-to-back CCL titles.

Ben Siefert (17 points), Anthony Williams (16) and Colt Stafford (12) hit double figures for Hartley (13-3, 6-2), which fought back gamely from a 10-point deficit.

A putback by Williams pulled the Hawks to 62-61 with 43.8 seconds left.

Alex Kellogg pushed the lead back to three with a rebound basket.

Hartley called timeout with 18.9 seconds remaining. Allen blocked a three-point shot in the corner by Zack Byers. After another timeout at the 1.9-second mark, Stafford threw away the inbounds and DeSales won its 11th straight game, taking a 47-45 lead in the series.

"I’m happy with how we kept our poise," Albright said. "This was just the type of game we needed to get us prepared for the tournament."