McHenry’s gym didn’t shake, although Nick Stowasser tried his best with a rim-rattling dunk, something he’s made a habit of doing this season.

Crystal Lake South’s high-flying junior guard soared and threw down an alley-oop lob from Carson Trivellini with two hands, causing the Gators’ fans to roar with excitement while silencing the home team’s fans. Stowasser skied over – of all players – McHenry star Adam Anwar.

The Trivellini-to-Stowasser highlight helped lift the Gators to a 69-53 win, spoiling the Warriors’ senior night in the two Fox Valley Conference teams’ regular-season finale Friday night.

“That was really loud,” Anwar said of Stowasser’s slam. “There was a timeout a couple of minutes later, and I was like, ‘Guys, we got to keep fighting. I got dunked on. We just got to keep going and going and going.’ We just can’t let the energy shift kill us.”

The Warriors couldn’t overcome South’s athleticism, however.

Stowasser scored a game-high 23 points, including three dunks and four 3-pointers (all in the first half), while Trivellini knocked down 17 of his 22 points in the second half after the score was tied 26-all at the break. Noah Cook added 12 points (two dunks) and 10 rebounds for South (24-7, 15-3 FVC).

A happy Gators coach Matt LePage noted his team’s 18 assists.

“[The ball] was not sticky,” LePage said.

The dunk show by the 6-foot-4 Stowasser and the 6-7 Cook wasn’t the first time this season that the duo provided a spark for the Gators. Add in Illinois baseball commit Trivellini – who had a dunk against Hampshire this season – and it’s easy to see how South can change the momentum of a game quickly.

Stowasser’s steal and two-handed breakaway slam and Trivellini’s six straight points keyed an 11-0 run to start the second half. McHenry (19-12, 10-8) never recovered.

“We know [South] is, by far, the most athletic team in the conference,” said Anwar, who had 22 points (three 3-pointers), six rebounds and two blocked shots. “Stowasser and Cook can jump out of the gym.”

Anwar saw it up-close early in the fourth quarter. Stowasser sneaked behind McHenry’s athletic 6-7 senior, soared and converted one of Trivellini’s six assists, extending the Gators’ lead to 43-29.

“Adam was there,” LePage said of Anwar. “He was playing that lob. They were calling it from the bench. [Trivellini] just threw it, and [Stowasser] went up and made a play.”

Momentum, South.

“We felt confident in the play,” said Stowasser, who also had five rebounds and three steals. “We ran it and executed it, and we ran it perfectly. Good pass from Carson.”

A minute later, Cook cooked. His two-handed flush jacked South’s lead to 47-32.

“It feels like [more than] two points,” Trivellini said of the dunks. “It has a different energy.”

“I feel like it just comes naturally,” Cook said. “Nick and I are always on the rim. We never get off it. It’s just fun.”

South, which swept the season series from McHenry after the two teams tied for the FVC championship last season, also got eight points and three assists from big man Ryan Morgan.

The Gators trailed 23-12 after Anwar finished a pass from Nathan Ottaway (16 points, eight rebounds) with 5:30 left before halftime. But back-to-back dunks by Cook and Stowasser started a 14-0 run, which Stowasser finished with consecutive 3s.

“Any time they got a dunk, you could hear the crowd pop,” Anwar said. “You could hear the bench. You could see the guys getting up, getting hyped. Any type of dunk, no matter what team it is, once you dunk, that’s a huge energy boost.”