The Glenbrook North basketball team trailed Glenbrook South throughout the entire third quarter and were down six points entering the fourth quarter during their game on Nov. 29.

According to David Weber, boys basketball head coach, in the fourth quarter, senior James Karis stepped up and led the team to its best quarter of the season so far, as the Spartans came back to win 68-60.

Karis scored 27 points, three of which came from an and-1 floater that gave the team a lead they would never relinquish in the final minutes of the game. He also attempted 18 free throws all in the fourth quarter, making 14 of them.

Weber said the team has five returning varsity players who received significant playing time last year. Among those are Karis and junior Kellen Witherell, who have led the 3-3 team, as of Dec. 7, with their play in the early season.

Weber said Karis’ performance in the game against GBS was a “big moment” in terms of bringing the team together.

“The team realized … he’s our leader.” said Weber. “Get him the ball. He’s going to go to the line and shoot it.”

Karis is averaging 14 points and 3.8 assists per game as of Dec. 7. Described by Weber as “one of the fastest guards” the GBN basketball program has ever seen, Karis said he tries to be approachable on and off the court.

“I try to lead them and be the person who has the loudest voice on the court,” said Karis. “I’m not really shy at all, so I like to talk and tell people where to go and what to do, and I always try to get the best out of them.”

According to Weber, every starting lineup this season has featured Karis at point guard and Witherell at forward. Witherell was instrumental in the team’s first two games, both of which were wins. At six-foot-five, Witherell scored 22 points against Hoffman Estates and 31 points against Hersey.

“In that Hersey game, he got really hot,” said Weber. “… We were down 10, and then all of the sudden he hit a couple of shots, and it put us back into the game, and we went on to win that game by nine.”

Witherell, who is averaging 17 points per game as of Dec. 7 said he attributes his early season success to his teammates’ ball movement and his biggest strength: his shooting.

“I’ve worked on [shooting] my whole life and continue to work on it,” Witherell said.

After a 2-0 start, the team lost its next two games. Weber said a major reason for the losses was “sloppy” and “shaky” offensive play.

“In the Niles West game that we lost, we had 21 turnovers,” said Weber. “…When you have 21 turnovers you’re not going to win many games.”

Weber said Witherell was not given as much space to shoot in the losses, and he would like Witherell to drive to the basket more often.

“He’ll be a great player when he is able to do that consistently,” Weber said.

After beating GBS, the team lost to Deerfield 51-50 on Dec. 2 by a game winning shot with 2.7 seconds remaining.

The rest of the Spartans’ starting lineup is comprised of more returning varsity players. Senior Brandon Bayzaee, sophomore Frank Siegien, senior Luke Amen and senior Tommy Gertner have all started at various points of the season. Junior Sean Merrigan is the sole first-year varsity player to have started in a game this season.

“Over the past few years, we haven’t had great team chemistry, and I feel like our team chemistry is way through the roof compared to the other teams,” said Karis. “We have a group of 16 guys who love to just play and love to work hard.”

Weber called his team “experienced” due to the returning players, which Weber said he believes is an advantage for the team.

“It’s rare in high school … where you can return five players like that,” Weber said.

Witherell said he has high expectations for the team because of their experience.

“I think we all expect to win conference this year,” said Witherell. “That’s a goal of mine, and it would be really cool to do.”