Senior guard Tarik Barakat has never started a game on the varsity for Stagg.

He finished one Friday night, and in the process, ended up helping the host Chargers finish off SouthWest Suburban Red rival Lincoln-Way Central in Palos Hills.

It’s what Barakat’s teammates, including senior guard Connor Williams, expect from him.

“He comes off the bench, and I like that he’s active with his hands on defense,” Williams said. “He knows how to play. I trust him with the basketball and to knock down some shots.

“He’s fitting his role pretty good.”

Williams scored a game-high 20 points and fellow senior guard David Ortiz added 13 points, six rebounds and three steals as Stagg continued its strong start with a 49-39 victory.

But the 5-foot-11 Barakat was equally instrumental — and supremely efficient — in his limited minutes. He scored eight points, going 3-for-3 from the floor and 1-for-2 from the free-throw line, while adding three steals, an assist and an offensive rebound.

“I think (my strength) is just me being active with my hands and being aggressive on that 1-3-1,” Barakat said. “And then just trying to make the right plays, not make any mistakes and hit shots when I get them.”

Barakat had to wait until the second quarter to get his chance against Lincoln-Way Central (2-6, 0-2), which fell behind 10-0 as Ortiz scored the game’s first eight points for Stagg (7-1, 1-0).

The Knights battled back behind the play of Korey Cagnolatti, who tallied 10 of his team-high 14 points in the first half, including a baseline jumper to force a 21-21 tie.

But Williams answered with a 3-pointer and Barakat followed with a steal and then went coast-to-coast for a layup with 52 seconds left in the first half.

“It got really close, but then we settled down and made the right plays,” Barakat said. “We ran through our stuff. We trust Connor as a leader and we ran the stuff through him.”

Williams, who along with Ortiz and fellow senior Lebarion Gilmore are third-year varsity players, shot 7 of 11 and sank seven straight free throws after missing his first attempt.

Barakat’s 3-pointer out of the right corner gave Stagg a 40-33 cushion heading into the fourth. After the Knights cut the deficit to 43-39, he scored on a driving layup with 3:02 to go.

After that, Barakat mostly focused on defense, notching a steal with 20 seconds left, then handing the ball to Williams to run out the clock.

“Tarik’s playing time over the last couple years has been sporadic, and he’s learned to keep his head up and do what’s best for the team,” Stagg coach Marty Strus said. “We needed his defense, it was outstanding, and his ball handling at the end to take care of things.”

Barakat’s point total was one shy of his career high and made him the game’s fourth-highest scorer. That’s noteworthy for a reserve who isn’t going to get a lot of looks on a veteran team.

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“It’s hard to buy into that, too,” Strus said. “We have Connor and David and Domas (Narcevicius) and guys that can really score the basketball.

“There’s not always a lot of shots to go around, so how else are you going to help us? Tonight, Tarik’s role was on defense.”

Will that role increase?

“We have a good amount of depth,” Williams said. “I think he can start, but I think he played well off the bench. As long as he’s doing his job, that’s all we need.”

Barakat isn’t going to campaign for more playing time, either.

“I’d like to start, but I’m just going to play my role,” he said. “Whatever coach thinks is right, I’ll just do it.”

Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.