This time, Maroons hang onto their lead

ROCK FALLS -- Elgin had been down this road before.

But the Maroons didn't want to go through what they had lately in close games with a long trip home ahead of them Saturday night.

So in a boys basketball game filled with reasons to crumble, Elgin didn't stumble in the final 2½ minutes as it scored the last 8 points in a 55-50 win over DeKalb in the Rock Falls Shootout at Tabor Gymnasium.

"It was just maturity," said Elgin 6-foot-6 senior D'Angelo Stewart after starting the decisive run with the last of his 11 points on a short one-hander in the lane.

"Keep fighting," said Elgin senior Derell Howse. "All we've got to do is keep fighting and we should be able to pull out the victory."

Howse was an integral part for the Maroons (7-7), whose last three close games ended in defeats. He scored 6 of his 14 points in the final 3:06 in a start for senior scoring leader Armani Williams, who was in street clothes with a sore left knee.

Elgin coach Mike Sitter said it "was more of a precaution" to give Williams nearly two weeks rest before its next game Friday at South Elgin.

"It was nice other guys stepped up," Sitter said.

Howse hit a pair of 3-pointers, had 7 rebounds and hit 3-of-4 free throws in the final 22 seconds to end the Maroons' 3-game skid.

"I had to step up," Howse said. "If I don't step up, things might not be good."

Sitter wasn't going to disagree.

"He plays like he practices," Sitter said. "He had one great week of practice and came out and showed it today.

"If he's not on the floor we don't win."

Elgin fought an uphill battle from a 19-9 deficit. Stewart and Kenny Williams also had a big one against 6-10 DeKalb (7-9) sophomore Jordan Threloff, who scored a game-high 15 points on 7-for-12 shooting and had 6 rebounds.

Threloff's layup with 3:23 left put DeKalb up 48-44 but Howse countered with a 3.

Tyler Smith's layup at 2:54 turned out to be the final points for the Barbs. That allowed the Maroons to overcome misses on a 3 by Tom Roth (8 points) and a tip by Jeremy Granger (12 points, 6 rebounds) and a baseline drive by Williams (8 points).

"When we were down 1 we told each other, we've come too far to lose," Stewart said of the 100-plus mile trip. "We've got seniors who know what they're doing.

"We just played through it. We played through everything."

And the Maroons kept getting defensive stops that led to Granger's right-wing 3 with 1:02 left for a 52-50 lead.

Grant Olsen missed a 3 with 40 seconds left and Howse sent the Maroons on their merry way home with his free throws.

"Our composure was pretty high," Sitter said. "We kept our composure and knew the situation.

"It was nice to see one of those close games down to the wire go our way."