Larkin can't keep up with Proviso East

Speed and athleticism.

On the basketball court, it can be a lethal combination.

That was what the Larkin boys basketball team ran into Tuesday in the third round of the 55th annual Proviso West Holiday Classic, in a 62-42 loss to Proviso East.

The Royals, just hours removed from Monday's heartbreaking 59-52 overtime loss to St. Joseph, could only watch as the lightning-quick Pirates used a 7-2 run to open the third quarter and a 9-0 run to end it to stake a 42-25 lead.

That made the fourth quarter pretty much academic, as East ballooned its lead to well over 20 to secure the win and a date with Whitney Young in the fifth-place game Wednesday.

It wasn't exactly the ideal way to end the tournament for the Royals, now 7-6. They turned the ball over 22 times, compared to 12 for East, and had little answer for Pirates' senior guard Antonio Williams, who led all scorers with 28 points, including 16 in the first half, in only his third game of the season.

"I think at times we showed an inability to take care of the ball at a high level against a high-level team," Larkin coach Deryn Carter said. "It's not like we're playing bad basketball teams. We've got to take care of the ball a lot better."

Added Royals' junior forward Christian Negron: "We were just lacking the energy, effort and enthusiasm, and those are some of the things Larkin basketball always bring. We just didn't have the same energy we normally do."

Negron was his usual solid self, leading his team with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 7 blocked shots, despite constant double-teams. But he didn't get much in the way of support, as senior guard Keyvon Kyles contributed 7 points and junior guard Kashmir Ivy added 6.

Ivy hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the final 52 seconds of the second quarter to pull the Royals to within 26-21 at the half, and things were looking up.

But that didn't last long, as David Ewing and Williams scored consecutive layups off steals to start the third quarter. And Williams put the icing on the cake - or perhaps the game on ice - with a jumper from the top of the key as time expired, to finish off the Pirates' 9-0 late-period run.

Larkin shot 34 percent for the game (16-for-47), but just 20 percent in the crucial third quarter (2-for-10). Proviso East (5-4) shot 40 percent for the game (26-for-64), and 80 percent from the free throw line (8-for-10).