Aurora Christian 58, Stillman Valley 52
Joe Redmond was the star of the Class 2A Aurora Christian boys basketball regional.
Redmond, a senior on Aurora Christian, not only sank the game-winning shot against Stillman Valley in the regional semifinal Wednesday, but the guard also netted a game-high 27 points in the 58-52 regional final win against the No. 1 seed Genoa-Kingston Friday.
"Coach (Don Davidson) has confidence in me and that's all that matters," Redmond said. "He's the one who puts me on the floor, tells me what to do and I do it."
"It's great to see him play so well on such a big stage," teammate T.J. McNelis added on Redmond.
This is the 10th regional title for Aurora Christian. This is the second consecutive season the Eagles have topped the Cogs in the regional final game, as they did it in Class A last year.
With the win, the Eagles are 18-10 and advanced to the Byron sectional -- just like last year -- and will play West Carroll Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the sectional semifinal. G-K closed its season 21-6.
The win was an emotional one for the Eagles, as the season has been dedicated to Stephanie Davidson, Don's wife who passed away from cancer days before the 2007-08 season began.
"He's a warrior," Redmond said. "He has great wisdom and understanding. He knows it gets worse before it gets better. He stuck with us, and for him to stick with us after his wife passed away…that shows me that I can do anything."
"I can't even imagine what he is going through," McNelis added. "It's great to see the strength he has coming out here. It's encouraging."
The Eagles nor Cogs didn't get their offense going until the second half. There were four ties in the first half, with the final knot at 18 at the half after Aurora Christian's Phil Rutherford launched a 3-pointer with a couple seconds left in the second quarter.
The Eagles used a 9-0 run in the middle of the third quarter that broke a 24-24 tie and gave them their biggest lead of the game, 33-24, after a pair of McNelis free throws with 1:58 remaining in the quarter.
"It was a defensive struggle, that first half," Davidson said. "Finally, both teams loosened up and started making some shots. It was a great high school game."
Aurora Christian never trailed again, as Redmond finished with 21 second-half points, including clutch free throws. In the final two minutes of play, he scored 11 points.
McNelis and Redmond shot 9-for-12 in the fourth quarter from the free throw line.
"We always want them on the line," Davidson said.
Rutherford finished with 10 points off the bench and Eric Andersen grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds and scored 8 points.