Steward's desperation 3 wins it for Z-B

PEORIA -- It was not the play Zion-Benton had designed in its final timeout.

But the end result could not have been more unpredictable for what proved to be as improbable a finish as the boys basketball state tournament has seen in recent memory.

Zion-Benton and Evanston were going at it with all their guns blazing in the first semifinal of the Class 4A tournament Friday night at Carver Arena.

In a crazy final sequence, each team had an exchange of steals, which put Zion-Benton guard Ronald Steward in the spotlight.

The Zee-Bees junior retrieved the ball near the timeline, took a few quick dribbles and let fly with a 40-footer as time expired.

The ball hit the backboard and found nothing but net, causing a delirious celebration for Zion-Benton at the expense of Evanston, whose players were sprawled all over the court in various stages of disbelief.

Zion-Benton advanced to the championship game with a 54-51 victory.

"I just tried to line it up pretty good," Steward said after snapping the last of four fourth-quarter ties with his rainbow shot off the glass. "I looked at the clock (after barely avoiding an over-and-back violation), and it said about two seconds (to play)."

The first Class 4A state championship game is sure to produce a first: neither Zion-Benton (32-3) nor its opponent, Richards (29-4), which had far less drama in dispatching Lockport in the second game, 58-41, have ever reached a state final.

In fact, neither school had ever qualified for the state tournament before this weekend and their battle is set for 8:15 tonight (Channel 50).

Zion-Benton had a less-than-inspiring beginning; Evanston (29-4) burst out the gate with the first 12 points.

"At that point, things didn't look very good," Zion coach Don Kloth said.

The Zee-Bees clawed their way back in behind the superlative play of sophomore star Lenzelle Smith, who led both teams with 19 points.

Zion closed out the half on a 26-10 run, and the third quarter set the stage for what was to come in the climatic fourth.

Evanston, which was paced by Sean Croegaert-Key and Steve Rudnicki with 13 and 12 points, respectively, had an 11-4 run in the third to regain the lead.

Eric Dortch had a tip-in for Evanston to send the game into the fourth quarter tied at 35-35, and there was little margin for error in the final eight minutes.

Evanston took its final lead early in the quarter, only to see Rodney Clinkscales' 3-pointer return the advantage back to Zion.

Zion appeared to seize control several times, but Evanston refused to fold.

Croegaert-Key made an acrobatic shot to bring the Wildcats within 49-48 with 1:11 remaining, but the Zee-Bees' spread was back to 51-48 via 2 clutch free throws from Clinkscales.

Zach Morton appeared destined to send the game into overtime with his 3-pointer with 24 seconds to play, but the improbable finish was only building to its conclusion.

"It was a shame one of those teams had to lose," Kloth said. "It was one of those things."

Evanston coach Bobby Locke has seen it before.

"If you have been coaching as long as I have, it's not out of the question," Locke said. "It never fails that if a guy gets off a clean look, something like that is possible."

The Wildkits meet Lockport (24-7) in the consolation game tonight at 6:30 p.m.

With the exception of two early leads against Richards, the Porters' efforts to reach their first title game in three decades failed to materialize.

Richards' outside efficiency produced an early cushion, and the Bulldogs were completely in command midway through the second quarter with an 11-0 burst to start the frame.

The Porters never recovered.

Richards' twin inside threats, Shaun Pratl and Carl Richard, were unstoppable: the former led both squads with 18 points and the latter added 12 more.

Richards' dominance was typified by their 5 combined dunks as well as their guards' willingness to distribute the ball.

"The guards (Eliud Gonzalez, Tommie Thomas) did a good job of finding me down low," Pratl said. "I just finished."

Thomas, a Purdue football recruit, added 13 points.

Brian Bradley, the Porters' catalyst in the state playoffs, had 1o points, but Lockport never came within single digits after a Richard field goal with 2: 47 to play before half.

Derrell Williams also had 10 for Lockport.

"We started doing things that we hadn't done in the run to get here," Lockport coach Larry Thompson said.

"We're an aggressive defensive team," Richards coach John Chappetto. "That's pretty much what got us here."