Burlington Central 56, Kaneland 55
Burlington Central didn't win as much as survive.
Fourth seed Kaneland gave the top-seeded Rockets all they wanted, but Central held on for a 56-55 victory in the first semifinal of the Class 3A Sycamore boys basketball regional Tuesday night.
Mike McCurdy, despite battling foul trouble, scored 24 points to lead the Rockets.
"This time of year, it doesn't matter how you win, as long as you win," said Central coach Chris Payne, whose team plays for the regional championship Friday against either Sycamore or Oswego.
"We didn't play very well tonight, but we found a way to win."
Free throw shooting was one key: The Rockets made 11 of 13 from the line to just 7 of 15 for the Knights. Ironically, one of the Rockets' 2 misses was the front end of a one-and-one with 15 seconds left that gave Kaneland a final chance to win.
The Knights got a good look, a short jumper in the lane, but it missed. Matt McCurdy ran down the long rebound and launched the ball high in the air, allowing the clock to run out.
Jake McNutt and Jason Wagner scored 11 points apiece for the Rockets (21-6).
Sean Larkin scored all 8 of his points in the third quarter.
Nick Wagner led a balanced Kaneland attack with 14 points. Kevin Green had 13 and Dave Dudzinski added 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Knights (10-17).
"We did everything we could do," said Kaneland coach Dennis Hansen. "We just couldn't knock down free throws. But regardless, we had the last shot to win."
Central led 21-15 after a fast-paced first quarter. But Mike McCurdy picked up his third foul barely a minute into the second quarter and the Rockets' offense struggled without him.
McCurdy picked up his fifth foul with 1:21 left. The 2 free throws by Dudzinski got Kaneland to within 54-52.
Eleven seconds later, Dan Berg, who checked in for McCurdy, knocked down 2 huge free throws for his only points of the night. Green then made 1 of 2 foul shots for Kaneland for the final margin.
Big plays abounded for the Rockets. With time running out in the third quarter, Larkin missed a shot. The rebound caromed long, but McNutt swatted it into the basket just before the buzzer, giving Central a 43-34 lead.
The Rockets extended the advantage to 46-36 on a pair of free throws by Mike McCurdy before a 7-0 run by Kaneland got the Knights back in the game.
On that play, McCurdy drove to the basket as Green tried to take a charge. It would have been McCurdy's fifth foul, but Green was called for the block instead.
"Any chance I have on a breakaway, I have to try to take it, because coach says we have to try to get out in transition before they set up," McCurdy said. "I was hoping it wasn't a charge."
McCurdy also had 9 rebounds and 3 assists for the Rockets.
Westminster postponed: Westminster Christian's Class 1A sectional semifinal against Donovan at Somonauk Tuesday night was postponed due to poor road conditions.
The Warriors will play the game tonight at 7:30 p.m., while St. Anne and Immaculate Conception will now wait until Thursday night to play.
The championship game has been moved to Saturday at 7:30 p.m.