Larkin breathes a sigh of relief

On the 55th day of 2009, the Larkin boys basketball team finally got its first win of the year Tuesday night.

The Royals broke an 11-game losing streak with a dominating 79-41 nonconference home victory over Burlington Central.

"I forgot how good it feels to win," Larkin junior Ryan Smith said. "We can now put all of that behind us."

Larkin (7-18) last won on Dec. 27, 2008, a 61-59 overtime victory over Rolling Meadows. The 79 points are a season-high as the Royals shot 60 percent, 31 of 52.

"We needed a win," Larkin coach Larry Hight said. "I'll trade this win for any earlier win because this is the last week."

Central (12-12) led 14-9 with 1:40 remaining in the first quarter. The Royals went on a 12-3 run, capped by a pair of Smith 3-pointers, to take a 21-17 lead. Smith hit four 3-pointers in the quarter as Larkin increased the lead to 32-22 at halftime.

"I told Ryan, 'Those are the biggest threes you've had in your career,' " Hight said. "When he's on, he's on. That was our spark."

The Royals continued to roll in the third quarter, hitting their first eight shots. Brandon Cooks and Garrett McDaniel combined for 15 of Larkin's 21 points in the third quarter.

Larkin shot 19 for 30 in the second half and outrebounded the Rockets 41-20 for the game.

McDaniel led the Royals with 17 points off the bench. The junior added 11 rebounds. Cooks finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

"(McDaniel) is a big guy who can move people around," Cooks said. "He's got a good pump fake to get you in the air, draw contact and still finish it."

Central shot only 13 for 48, 27 percent. Shane Larkin led the Rockets with 14 points, 10 in the third quarter, and 6 rebounds. Ray Hunnicutt added 9 points.

"It's not hard to figure out why we lost. We cannot put the ball in the hole with any type of consistency," Rockets coach Chris Payne said. "You're not going to beat anybody shooting 27 percent from the field."