Spine-tingling 1989 Class AA tourney had it all
Twenty years ago, the 1989 Class AA boys basketball tournament had it all.
Great players, coaches, teams and story lines. Controversy on and off the court.
And the most exhausting and exhilarating finish to determine a champion.
It all added up to an unforgettable, magic-filled weekend in Champaign and the University of Illinois' Assembly Hall.
Patrolling the sidelines were six coaches who won 500 career games - East St. Louis Lincoln's Bennie Lewis, New Trier's Mel Sheets, Rock Island's Duncan Reid, Thornridge's Mike Flaherty, Peoria Central's Chuck Buescher and King's Sonny Cox.
On the court were three of the most prolific scorers in state history - King's Jamie Brandon, East Aurora's Thomas Wyatt and Bloom's Brandon Cole. Cole is still one of the state's most accomplished 3-point shooters.
Peoria Central was looking to cap a rare perfect season. East St. Louis Lincoln was looking to claim an unprecedented third straight state title. Fortune put them on opposite ends of the bracket.
Ironically, the tourney started with a clunker as King cruised past Thornridge and Minnesota-bound Townsend Orr. But the drama picked up in the second quarterfinal.
This was part of what made the Elite Eight format special when there was no guarantee of coming back to play on Saturday.
East Aurora, led by the silky smooth Wyatt, had the ball in the final seconds of regulation in a tie game. East St. Louis Lincoln no longer had one of the state's great players in LaPhonso Ellis, who was now at Notre Dame.
But a loose ball got tossed ahead with time running out. Sharif Ford grabbed it and his running 15-footer was on the mark to give Lincoln a stunning buzzer-beating win.
Next up was an excellent Peoria Central team led by tough point guard Chris Reynolds, who needed to be since he played at Indiana for Bob Knight. Mike Hughes was a long and lean scoring threat, and undersized forward Charles White did whatever was needed.
Bloom came in with an uninspiring 19-10 record but nearly walked out with a stunning upset thanks to the dangerous Cole. A shot in the final 15 seconds by Tyrone Howard gave Central a 1-point escape.
The final quarterfinal wasn't too bad either, as Rock Island edged New Trier by 5 points.
Saturday's semifinals produced two more games in doubt to the end and set up the dream finale as East St. Louis Lincoln beat King 60-57 and Peoria Central topped Rock Island 52-47. It also led to a memorable back-and-forth between two coaches never shy about speaking their minds in Cox and Reid.
Reid said he would love to have Rockford, Quincy and the entire Quad Cities at his disposal in a shot at Cox's "ability" to draw players from the entire Chicago area. Reid also joked that he'd like to be Brandon's agent but said Cox probably had that locked up already.
But this was just a fun sideshow before the main event. East St. Louis Lincoln and Peoria Central took each other's best shots through 32 minutes of regulation. Reynolds was hit with a controversial technical foul in the first overtime, but Central survived that when Hughes beat the buzzer with a baseline jumper.
Central had a shot to win at the end of the second overtime that rimmed out, and for the first time in state history, the championship game went to a third overtime. Both teams traded big shots, and it looked as if another overtime would be necessary when Vincent Jackson nailed a pressured jumper just inside the top of the key as the buzzer sounded.
Lincoln players reveled in becoming the first team to win three straight titles.
Distraught Central players crashed to the Assembly Hall floor after the ultimate heartbreaker.
Minutes later, a disappointed but composed White said it had to be one of the best championship games in state history. Twenty years has done nothing to change the feeling about that game and one of the best state tournaments ever.
mmaciaszek@dailyherald.com