Deerfield holds off Warren

All season long, Warren's boys basketball team has been able to stay in games until the very end.

And that was the scenario again on Wednesday night as the Blue Devils tried to rally back from a 9-point deficit in the final quarter.

But No. 6 seed Deerfield was able to hold off pesky No. 12 seed Warren 34-30 in a Class 4A Notre Dame regional semifinal in Niles.

The Warriors (18-11) will take on host No. 4 seed Notre Dame (25-4) for the regional championship at 7 p.m. Friday.

Jake Falish led the Blue Devils (15-15) with 12 points, all on 3s. Warren's Maurice Chambers added 8 points.

"I love this team, and they competed so hard to win," Warren coach Ryan Webber said. "We worked our butt off and just fell short."

The Blue Devils trailed 33-24 with 5:40 left. Chambers and Falish each hit a 3 and cut the lead to 33-30 at the three-minute mark.

Warren had a great shot to tie the game with a minute left on the clock but saw a 3-point attempt go in and out of the basket.

"I don't know how that ball didn't go in," Webber said. "It found a way to come out. That's the way it goes sometimes."

Joey Lane made a free throw with 11 seconds left to seal the game for Deerfield.

Nick Zwart led the Warriors with 10 points and 10 rebounds.