It barely took a minute for Sandburg’s Ryan Tomczak to grasp the gravity of the moment.

The 6-foot-1 senior guard made two 3-pointers on his first two attempts, and that opening sequence of the first quarter Tuesday was like a shining light hitting the darkness.

“Once I hit my first two, I just had that feeling that it was going to be my night,” Tomczak said afterward, celebrating what would be a career night. “Everything felt right.

“With all the other shooters and playmakers, I knew there would be a lot of opportunities with the ball coming back to me.”

Tomczak put the visiting Eagles on his back, making seven 3-pointers and scoring a career-best 30 points in a 92-82 victory over Oak Lawn that featured a bevy of offense.

Astoundingly, Tomczak wasn’t even the leading scorer Tuesday for Sandburg (6-5). Senior guard David Vargas finished with 31 points and converted six 3-pointers of his own.

Seven players scored in double figures. Oak Lawn (9-2) ended up with the highest honor, topped by a career-high 38 points from junior guard Donte Montgomery.

Tomczak made five 3-pointers and scored 19 points in the second half. His 3-pointer from the right wing on the first play of the game foreshadowed a night he won’t soon forget.

“After being on the bench all of last season, I didn’t want to go through that again,” said Tomczak, who played sparingly as a junior. “I’m a senior now. I knew I had to make changes.

“I went to the gym every day last summer and started to get a lot of shots up.”

Speaking of shots, Sandburg made 14 3-pointers compared to seven by the host Spartans, generating a 42-21 differential in scoring from long range.

For Tomczak, it has been a stunning turnaround.

He has started every game this season, leveraging a quick release, footwork and the ability to get separation off the dribble into a more fundamentally rounded player.

Sandburg coach John Daniels said Tomczak struggled defensively last season and needed time to learn his system.

“Vargas was up with me as a sophomore and Ryan was still learning things,” Daniels said. “There were signs last season. He could always shoot it.

“But it was all the other things — defense, leadership — and we talked a lot about that. I know he was mad at me, but I did coach him up to make him better.”

At the same time, Vargas and Tomczak continued to develop their rapport and chemistry.

“He’s my best friend,” Vargas said. “I know what he’s capable of. You saw it (Tuesday) when we were playing like that together and shooting. We could do this against anybody.”

Vargas and Tomczak mesh perfectly. Although Tomczak rarely left the bench last season, Vargas told his friend not to doubt his abilities or lose confidence.

“I told the whole team, but especially him, to keep working and the hard work will pay off,” Vargas said. “Even if you don’t always get the minutes you want, we’re all playing together.”

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And while struggling to find a place in the rotation last winter, Tomczak still struck a chord.

“He’s got a moxie about him,” Daniels said. “This was one of the first times I started running plays for him. He was so hot. In the past, if he missed a shot, he’d hang his head or get down.

“That’s where his maturity is really coming in.”

Before Tuesday night’s game, Tomczak had never been interviewed. He paused to make sense of it all.

“I have gotten a little bigger and faster compared with last season,” Tomczak said. “We have a lot of good players and guys who complement each other.

“I always knew I could shoot the ball. (Tuesday) everybody gave me the ball.”

Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.