Elgin 79, Rockton Hononegah 77

Kenny Williams seemed the unlikeliest of heroes.

Williams, who watched as teammates Jeremy Granger and Armani Williams torched the nets for a combined 42 points, nailed a 10-footer in the lane as time expired, lifting Elgin to an exhilarating 79-77 win over Rockton Hononegah in a semifinal game of the Class 4A Jacobs sectional Wednesday night in Algonquin.

"We actually set up that last play for Kenny," said Elgin coach Mike Sitter, whose Maroons (20-9) play Rockford Boylan for the sectional championship at 7:30 p.m. Friday night.

"Their defense was flowing towards our guards and we thought we could get Kenny a good shot in the middle of their zone. He was playing with a sprained ankle. But he is a muscle-bound football player who is tough mentally."

"I was just glad to help us win," said Kenny Williams, who will play football at Eastern Illinois University. "I was glad coach had faith in me that I could make that last shot. I am a football player. I am here for my teammates. We are family."

The Maroons grabbed a 77-75 lead on a basket by D'Angelo Stewart off a nifty feed from Armani Williams with 48 seconds left.

Hononegah tied the game 77-77 as David Brown, who scored a game-high 40 points, made 2 free throws with 28 seconds left.

The Maroons made 16 of 30 shots (53.5 percent) from 3-point range for 53.3 percent.

Anger was a 5-for-5 from beyond the arc en route to scoring 23 points.

Armani Williams also connected on five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points, while Tom Roth knocked down three of five 3-pointers, netting 11 points off the bench.

In the second quarter, the Maroons sank eight of 10 3-point baskets, outscoring the Indians 33-22 to lead 43-41 at halftime.

"Give Elgin credit," said Hononegah coach Mike Miller, who coached at Elgin for a year. "They gave us their absolute best shot. It is very tough to beat a team that shoots 16 of 30 on 3-pointers. They didn't have an answer for Brown, but we didn't have an answer for Granger and (Armani) Williams. They are great players. We tried to give them different defensive looks. But it didn't matter, with the way they were shooting. I feel sick for our players. They gave a great effort."

Nate Gillette added 15 points for the Indians on five 3-pointers.

"We looked at several tapes on Hononegah and we thought the first team to 90 would win," Sitter said. "We tried to simulate their offense in practice. But they are so talented that is tough to do with our second unit. We were well-prepared and weren't surprised by anything."