Downers N. does in Larkin in second half

An undersized Larkin boys basketball team fought hard through two quarters against Downers Grove North on Tuesday. Then the Royals got zoned.

"The zone opened everything up, and we just played hard," said Trojans junior Kameron Norton, after his squad's 59-50 win in Downers Grove. "We got a lot of turnovers off of that, and they couldn't really rebound with us."

"We got a little impatient with that. It's the first time we've seen that zone, but that comes with practice," said Royals coach Larry Hight. "We've got to be more ready for that, so that's my fault."

Larkin (0-5) only trailed Downers Grove North (5-1) 24-22 at halftime by hitting its open looks against the Trojans' man-to-man offense. A free throw and a pair of Ryan Shriver 3-pointers put the Royals up 19-12 in the second quarter, but the Trojans got teamwide scoring in earning a 12-3 offensive edge to halftime.

"We came out with some intensity," Shriver said. "But after halftime we just couldn't get any momentum going."

The Trojans' zone effectively shut down Larkin's offense in the third quarter, and Downers Grove North went up by 10 points on a Norton three-point play. A Thomas Benton layup put the Trojans up 41-29, before a three-point play by Larkin's Brandon Cooks cut his squad's deficit to 41-34.

The Trojans' zone shut the door on Larkin in the final quarter, and their advantage inside took over in the paint.

"We've got what -- like, seven 5-foot-9 guys?" Shriver said. "We've got to work on our rebounding."

"It'll help when we get everybody back healthy," Hight said. "Then we'll have the consistency that we want. The guys fought hard tonight, and that's all I can ask."

The Trojans led 54-38 late in the contest on a pair of Drew Vogler free throws before mass substitutions both ways saw Larkin's bench players play hard to the final buzzer during a 12-5 run to end the game.

The Trojans got 10 points apiece from Norton, Deon Thomas and Wesley Love, with Norton and Thomas pulling down 7 and 8 rebounds, respectively. Larkin got 8 points from Cooks, 6 from Terell Johns and 5 apiece from Jeff Saurbaugh and Nick Bee.