His mother’s reaction put Homewood-Flossmoor’s Carson Brownfield on the basketball path. ‘Best thing she did.’

As early as fourth grade, Homewood-Flossmoor’s Carson Brownfield was a high-energy kid.

Maybe a little too high energy? His mother, Erica, thought so.

“She felt like I had ADHD, so she wanted me to get out there and play some sports,” Carson said of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. “It turned out I was good at basketball.”

Does Carson, a senior guard, think he had ADHD?

“I didn’t feel like I did — but still, to this day, she thinks I got it,” he said. “But I don’t feel like I have it.”

What Brownfield does have is basketball talent.

He was named to the all-tournament team Friday night after the Vikings topped Thornton 53-52 in the championship game of the 50th Big Dipper at Rich Township.

The 6-foot-3 Brownfield had 14 points, seven rebounds and four steals for H-F (13-1). Bryce Heard added 16 points, hauled down nine rebounds and earned tournament MVP honors.

Gianni Cobb, a Columbia recruit, scored what turned out to be the winning basket for the Vikings on a layup with two seconds left and then had a steal at half court to seal the win.

Illinois recruit Morez Johnson led Thornton (11-2) with 23 points. Meyoh Swansey had 11.

Looking back, Brownfield thanked his mother for putting him into sports.

“It was the best thing she did,” Carson said. “It kept me out of trouble and created my name.”

He’s still a high-energy player, and his teammates appreciate it.

“He really gets us going,” Cobb said of Brownfield.

“Carson is one of our biggest pieces,” Heard said. “He keeps us together. He’s one of our most vocal players. I really call him the glue guy, for sure.”

With the transfer of talented players in Heard and Cobb for this season, Brownfield found himself with a different set of teammates surrounding him.

H-F coach Jamere Dismukes appreciates the way he has interacted with them.

“He’s our leader and he’s our captain,” Dismukes said. “He was voted our captain unanimously by all of the players. On the court, he’s our Swiss Army knife.

“He can play the point. He can play in the post. He can shoot the ball, he can guard the ball and he can rebound the ball. Carson is literally everything for our team.”

Brownfield’s seventh rebound in the closing seconds with the Vikings down by one point Friday night set the table for Cobb’s heroics.

The 6-0 Cobb, who had shot 1 of 6 from the floor, headed into heavy traffic in the lane for the go-ahead basket.

“I wasn’t shooting well, but at the end, I needed to make that shot,” Cobb said. “I feel like I’m a winner and a champion and had to have that shot.”

Heard said he was not surprised Cobb came up with the winner.

“The play broke down, and he came in and finished it,” Heard said of Cobb. “You like to see a teammate finish in a high-intensity game like that.

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“He makes shots like that all the time.”

Brownfield, meanwhile, has NCAA Division II offers, but Dismukes believes his all-around guard is Division I material.

For now, Brownfield wants to enjoy the rest of the season and see how it plays out.

With the exception of a 77-47 loss to undefeated Gonzaga from Washington, D.C., the Vikings have run the rest of the table. This was their first Big Dipper championship.

“I think we’re flowing,” Brownfield said. “Early in the season, we were still trying to find each other, but now we are jelling together. We look good out there.

“We’re looking for a state championship.”

Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.