Storm stands above Larkin; Payne helps Saxons win

South Elgin enjoyed a precipitous height advantage at three of five starting positions in Thursday's Upstate Eight Conference boys basketball tilt at Larkin.

Center Dan Lopez (6-foot-9) had 6 inches on Larkin's Cam Kinley, and long-armed Storm guards Adam Hodge (6-4) and Josh Glenn (6-1) each stood taller than their Larkin counterparts, Nick Bee (5-9) and Ryan Shriver (5-9).

The taller South Elgin trio outscored Larkin's key players 32-16.

"Being small, it's going to be hard all year," Kinley said. "We just have to fight through."

Despite those advantages in size, the true difference maker in South Elgin's 47-32 victory -- a win that improved the Storm to 3-0 all-time against Larkin -- was energetic forward Jeff Lewis, who was pure hustle Thursday.

Lewis is the kind of player unafraid to donate skin to the cause by diving for a loose ball, the kind of player to whom boxing out for a rebound is more important than scoring, the kind of player who stands firm and takes a charge despite impending impacts.

He's the kind of unselfish player who helps a team win. Thursday, he contributed 2 steals, 2 charges taken, 7 points and 10 rebounds.

"I just get out there everyday and try to carry over what I do in practice to the games," Lewis said.

The junior snared 6 of his 10 rebounds in the first quarter to ignite the Storm, which took a 10-4 lead after one period.

"He's just a tough kid," South Elgin coach Chaz Taft said. "That's the kind of kid we want at South Elgin. He's the prototype."

Larkin (0-6, 0-2) had trouble finding the net against the Storm (4-2, 2-0). The Royals connected for only 11 field goals in the game, 3 in the first half when they shot 3 of 18 and turned the ball over 8 times.

For the game Larkin shot 32 percent (11 of 34) while South Elgin was connecting at a 46-percent clip (16 of 35).

"They were hitting their shots in the first half. We weren't," Larkin coach Larry Hight said. "We got behind and we couldn't catch up to them. They're too good a team to come back on."

South Elgin took a 24-11 lead to the half and was able to fend off a modest Larkin run in the third quarter.

Deonte McFadden capped a 6-0 Larkin surge with back-to-back buckets that cut the deficit to 35-28 with 6:46 to play, but he subsequently missed 2 free throws that could have pulled Larkin within 5 points.

Leading 37-30, South Elgin outscored the Royals 10-2 to seal its third straight victory on Larkin's home court.

Schaumburg 76, Barrington 58:ŒSchaumburg's boys basketball team has a little bit of everything this year.

And a lot more to come.

The Saxons showed some of it Thursday night to visiting Barrington in a Mid-Suburban West game in which the taller, younger Broncos hung tough but succumbed in the end, 76-58, to Schaumburg's speed, quickness, clutch shot-making and full-court defensive pressure.

With their taller players coming around, especially Blake Mueller off injury, the Saxons (4-2, 2-0) showed why they'll be well balanced and difficult to contend with.

Whether much-heralded junior transfer Cully Payne was on the floor on not, Schaumburg showed poise, shooting touch and defensive grit.

After Barrington reduced a 17-point deficit to 52-48 early in the fourth quarter on center Peter Leonard's free throws, the Saxons responded. Even with inside players Dan Slowik and George Kalousek saddled with four fouls apiece, Schaumburg responded with Brandon Bolger's 3, Payne's jumper and Bolger's fast-break layup on Payne's feed.

Just like that, it was a 10-2 run, the lead was out to double-digits again and the Broncos never got closer. Payne finished with 19 points, Bolger with 15, while Slowik had 8. The Saxons got 24 points off their bench, including a pair of 3-pointers and 9 points all told from Sean Everitt and 6 from Josh Spandiary.

They needed them. Barrington, paced by 6-foot-6 bookends Leonard and Mack Darrow, out-rebounded the Saxons 29-20. But Schaumburg committed just 13 turnovers to Barrington's 26.

When Barrington closed to 52-48, "Coach (Bob Williams) said we've got to play defense like we usually do," said Bolger, the 6-0 senior guard.

"It's just heart," said Bolger, who also noted that Payne just makes everyone better around him.

"No question," agreed Williams. "That's his defining characteristic."

"He's a heck of a player," said Barrington coach Marty Dello of Payne. "He really changes the complexion of that team. He's a leader."

-- Howard Schlossberg