St. Francis 52, Immaculate Conception 37
Leaving the court trailing Immaculate Conception 18-9 at halftime, St. Francis boys basketball coach Shawn Healy looked as pleased as the New England Patriots' Bill Belichick at the end of the Super Bowl.
Healy rode his team plenty in the first half. In the locker room it was all business.
"When you score 9 points in a half," he said, "there's a lot to talk about."
Needing the win Friday to hang in the Suburban Catholic Conference race with Driscoll on tap tonight, St. Francis righted itself to beat IC 52-37 in Elmhurst.
After 3-of-21 first-half shooting and a 4-point second quarter, St. Francis (14-7, 9-2) made 13 of 23 second-half field goal tries.
Guard Dan McCoy scored his 12 points on 4 second-half 3-pointers, reversing his team's 0-of-10 shooting from the arc in the first half.
"I'd say it was a big factor that we picked up the intensity and our energy," said St. Francis forward Brian McMahon, who scored a game-high 22 points and made 12 of 14 free throws.
"And the fact that Dan was hitting his 3s really got us back into the game. It definitely spread out the offense so we could look to drive more, get to the basket."
Early, Knights center Matt Purdom ruled the lane. He scored 11 of his 19 points in the first 16 minutes for IC (8-14, 4-9), which presented its second class of Athletic Hall of Fame inductees at the half.
"The first half we were patient on offense. We moved the ball, we waited to see what could get open. But in the second half we just didn't have that," said the 6-foot-5 Purdom, whose cousin, Jack, starts at guard for St. Francis.
McCoy began a 16-7 run with a 3-pointer. Baskets by McMahon and 6-6 center Bob Vonderhaar, a Dave Palash 3 and 2 Palash free throws knotted the score 25-25 at 3:41 of the third quarter.
Matt Purdom's 4-point blitz recaptured a brief Knights lead, but 3s by McCoy and Palash and then Palash's third-quarter buzzer-beater had St. Francis ahead for the first time, and to stay, 32-31.
McMahon saw the foul line late and often -- his 12 points there tripled IC's 4-of-6 total -- to pace a 39-31 lead.
IC forward Kevin Koch scored inside, but McCoy hit another 3 and Vonderhaar scored inside for a 44-33 lead with 4:59 left.
Purdom's putback to make it 46-37 with 3:13 remaining was the Knights' last gasp.
"Eventually St. Francis is going to hit some shots, and they did," said IC coach Darren Howard. "When they start hitting 3s and you start to extend your defense, you're in trouble."