Gardon, Larkin shoot past Bartlett
When Larkin's Tanner Gardon checked out to a bevy of cheers with 1:27 to go in the fourth quarter of the Royals' Class 4A Bartlett regional championship win over the host Hawks, the senior admitted it was "the best feeling I've had" in a long time. And it was well deserved, too.
In the 6-foot 7 forward's case, during No. 1 seed Larkin's 71-56 win Friday over the No. 3 Hawks, Gardon, who was embraced by head coach Deryn Carter upon his exit, came out firing on all cylinders when the Royals needed to match Bartlett point for point in a furious, fast-tempo first quarter.
Gardon knocked down all five of his 3-point field goal attempts for a game-high 20 points - including 3 in that first quarter, and his career high in points helped paved the way for Larkin (20-8) to erase a 19-13 Bartlett lead after 1 period.
"I wouldn't just say my 3s (helped) our points, it was just the way we played," Gardon said. "We picked it up on defense. We started clamping down. Our staple is defense. That's what we do. When we start playing Larkin defense, we went on a run and we didn't look back."
Larkin's 22-6 second-quarter surge via its patented defense forced 4 turnovers and held the Hawks to a 3-for-9 clip from the field (31 percent overall on 15-of-47 shooting).
Bartlett (20-11) watched the lead slip when Christian Negron tied it at 23 on his jumper with 5:35 left and thereafter Gardon nailed his fourth 3 for a 26-23 Larkin lead with 4:50 left. All of that was part of a 17-2 run to end the half for Larkin's second regional victory in three years and a trip to the DeKalb sectional at 7 p.m. Tuesday against Rockford Auburn. The Royals lost to Auburn 82-54 on Nov. 29 in Auburn's Thanksgiving Tipoff Classic.
"Hats off to our guys, we've come a long way, we've come a long way. I'm so proud of them," Carter said. "In the first quarter we were ready to play defense when their guys caught the ball. In the second (and third and fourth) quarter we were ready to play defense before they even got it. These guys are catch-and-shoot shooters - by the time they catch it, it's too late. We were ready to play defense at all times."
Negron finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks while helping Larkin seal a 35-13 edge in rebounding. But that wasn't the only problem for Bartlett.
The Hawks were busy trying to regain the hot hand they'd displayed in the first quarter, when they drained five 3s. Ryan DiCanio nailed a top-of-the-key 3 at the buzzer for a 6-point lead, and a 6-of-13 opening to the quarter had Larkin on its heels.
"If they would have played like that for 32 minutes we would have tipped our cap," Carter said. "We would've tipped our cap and said tonight wasn't our night. They came out ready to go."
Tyler Pauletti led the Hawks with 16 points while DiCanio registered 14 and 4 rebounds. But there weren't enough answers for the Hawks.
"When you realize you're down 16 points and this could be your last game of the season, you start doing things you wouldn't normally do. Your mind gets into a panic mode," Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith said, whose team committed 10 turnovers.
Mistakes led to Negron's 2-handed slam for a 33-25 lead late in the second quarter. A Keion Adams jumper on a second chance gave Larkin a 10-point halftime lead and the Hawks went cold again, sinking only 1 of their 10 third-quarter attempts.
Gardon nailed his final 3 in the left pocket for a 47-33 lead late in the third. The advantaged swelled to 20 in the fourth, as Larkin shot 48 percent on 24-of-50 shooting.
"Just the fact that a lot of people doubted us because we lost nine seniors last year. It's just great," Negron said.
"This is awesome," Gardon said. "Larkin basketball is not just about winning in the regular season, it's about winning championships, whether it's holiday tournaments, or especially in the playoffs. This is the legacy we want to start leading for Larkin - championships."