Roth, Maroons steal Elgin's bragging rights

Considering the Elgin and Larkin boys basketball teams had already split a pair of close games this season, it was only fitting the third meeting came down to a final shot.

Elgin (9-11), which prevailed 66-64 in the nonconference affair at Chesbrough Field House, maintained a slim lead throughout the fourth quarter on the strength of 32 points from senior guard Tom Roth, who sank seven 3-pointers in 9 attempts.

"We concentrated on stopping the inside game and I thought we did a decent job of that, but it was too much Roth," Larkin coach Larry Hight said. "He was on fire. He was banking threes in and we had all our best defenders on him all night. Give credit to Roth, he played one (heck) of a game."

However, Larkin (6-13) pulled within 66-64 on senior Brandon Cooks' long 2-pointer from the circle with 27 seconds to play. The Royals immediately fouled Roth as he was bringing the ball up court, and he missed the subsequent bonus free throw. Larkin grabbed the rebound and called timeout with 18 seconds left to play.

Point guard Jeff Saurbaugh (2 points) brought the ball up court after the timeout and immediately shot a 3-pointer from the top of the arc, but the attempt bounded off the front of the rim and into Roth's hands with 8.1 seconds left.

"We gave all effort, but we lost it at the end, we lost our composure," said Larkin junior Garrett McDaniel, who finished with 10 points and 6 rebounds. "We played them really tough, but I think we should have drilled it in and gotten the layup before the three. When it all came down to it, we boiled under pressure."

Again Roth was fouled. Again he couldn't convert the bonus free throw, an unlikely turn of events for a player who at one point in the contest connected on 7 consecutive 3-point attempts spanning the second through fourth quarters.

"That's a horrible, horrible feeling," Roth said of missing both bonus attempts. "I have to go back to the gym and work on my free throws."

Larkin junior Jermaine Clements grabbed the rebound, pushed the ball across midcourt and the Royals called timeout with 4.2 seconds left. The ball was triggered to Clements, who passed to junior Drew Simonini in the corner. But Simonini's 3-point attempt at the buzzer hit the top of the backboard and the Elgin student section poured onto the court to celebrate a clinch of the season series over the rival Royals.

"It was a tough shot," said Simonini, who finished with 10 points and connected on 2 of 5 attempts from 3-point range. "They played good defense all around, especially on that last possession."

It was a win to savor for the Maroons, who have won three of their last four games.

"It was probably the most important basketball game of my life," Elgin senior Joe Wade said. "This was one of the last basketball games I'm ever going to play. To have it come down to the end there and us come out with the victory is just unbelievable. I still can't believe it."

Said Roth: "This means a lot because it's the last time we're playing them. I'm a senior, we won and it feels good."

Larkin led 12-11 after one quarter and took it's biggest lead of the game at 22-17 when Ramadon Adili received a kickout pass in the corner from Simonini and drilled a 3-pointer with 2:48 left in the first half.

However, Roth sank a pair of 3-pointers to spark Elgin to an 8-0 run.

Marcus Redburg scored 18 points and snared 6 rebounds for Elgin. Terell John and Brandon Cooks each scored 11 points to lead a balanced attack for Larkin.