Waubonsie Valley struggles against Plainfield N.

The number three played a key role in Wednesday's Class 4A regional contest between Plainfield North and Waubonsie Valley.

Unfortunately for the Warriors, it played a more prominent role for the fifth-seeded Tigers, who won 55-42 to advance to Friday night's regional title game against host East Aurora.

After a sluggish first half in which Waubonsie (14-14) suffered through 8 first-quarter turnovers and trailed 24-17 at the break, the Warriors managed to cut the gap to 3 points following a basket down low and a pair of free throws from center Roy McElroy, who finished the night and closed out his prep career with 10 points.

But Plainfield North, despite playing without a pair of starters, got back on track when guard Chris McMath was fouled while attempting a 3-pointer and converted all three foul shots for a 27-21 lead with 5:48 left in the third quarter. Ryan Crow added a 3-point basket later in the quarter as Plainfield North (24-5) extended the lead to 40-29 after three quarters.

"I thought we just needed one more basket to get over the hump and it didn't happen," said Warriors coach Steve Weemer, whose team was looking for a third straight regional crown this year. "You have to give them credit. They're the five seed for a reason, and they were the better team tonight."

The Tigers led 14-8 after one quarter and protected the lead in large part by switching defenses, especially causing problems for Waubonsie with a zone defense that left the Warriors all too often firing away from the outside and coming up short. Waubonsie shot just 13 of 43 in the game, including a 3-of-17 effort from beyond the arc.

"We've played against the 2-3 all year, but tonight we just got frustrated when the shots were not falling," said Warriors senior Jelani Johnson, whose solid career ended with a 6-point, 1-assist evening. "We started getting our momentum back after the half, but then all of their shots started going in and ours all bounced in and out."

While the Warriors were struggling on offense, the Tigers picked up a big boost from reserve Ben Daniel and a pair of timely 3s from Crow, who led all scorers with 14 points. Crow also recorded 4 of his team's 6 blocked shots.

Plainfield North coach Nick DiForti credited his team's defense with helping it advance to Friday's finals.

"We were aware of where Jelani and Jonny Strauss were all the time," he said of the attention paid to Waubonsie's outside threats. "And I'm really proud of Ben. He hasn't seen as much time this year, but he stepped up big time."

Steve Strickland knocked down a pair of 3s and added 7 of 11 free throws to pace the Warriors with 13 points in the game. Geremie Savoy led the team with 6 rebounds.

"Jelani was our only returning starter and I'm happy with how they fought and battled this year," Weemer said.