Another strong finish lifts Larkin by Guilford
Larkin has developed a knack for finishing strong in games played at Chesbrough Field House.
Seventeen days after the Royals blitzed rival Elgin with a 12-0 run to finish off a 71-62 victory at Chesbrough, Larkin used a 7-0 run in a span of 1:34 late in the fourth quarter to break free from a tie at 58 and beat Rockford Guilford 71-63 on the same court.
The Royals (7-3) will face Glenbard East (8-1) in the winners' bracket of the Elgin Holiday Tournament today at 6:30 p.m.
"We like this floor. It's our hometown," Larkin senior Jermaine Clements said. "We've got to do what we've got to do, especially here. No matter where we are in Elgin we have to do what we've gotta do to get the job done."
Larkin beat Guilford (3-6) in a game that featured 10 lead changes and four ties. The Royals took the lead for good on a set play drawn up during a timeout. Senior Ryan Smith received the inbound pass in left corner, caught and launched a 3-pointer that put Larkin ahead 61-58 with 3:41 to play.
"I just got the opening in the corner," said Smith, who finished with 13 points. "If I didn't have the shot, I was supposed to get it inside but I had the shot and I knocked it down."
"We drew some plays up but they don't look near as good if guys don't make the shots, and they did down the stretch," Larkin coach Deryn Carter said.
Clements scored in transition on a short baseline jump shot after freshman Carlito Singleton made his fourth steal of the game. Singleton capped the 7-0 run with a deft move through the lane, which resulted in a bucket off glass with 2:07 left to play and a 65-58 Larkin lead.
The Larkin attack was balanced with four players in double figures: Smith, Clements (17), post force Garrett McDaniel (12) and guard Ramadan Adili (12). Singleton and Drew Simonini each added 7 points. The contributions of reserves Clements and Adili helped the Larkin bench outscore the Guilford reserves 29-14.
"The key is if you have your starting five and you don't have anybody who can do anything off the bench, you're in trouble," Carter said. "A couple of those guys coming off the bench are high-talent, high-energy, high-effort guys and they're making plays for us."
Guilford led 35-32 at halftime and quickly moved to a 39-32 advantage on third-quarter baskets from junior Alonte Holliday (21 points) and junior Brandon Blankenship (14). Larkin rallied with a 10-2 run to take the lead, a surge highlighted by Singleton's 3-pointer and breakaway layup after a steal and capped by Clements' banked-in 3-pointer.
The Royals, who won 8 games last season, now face Glenbard East, one of the tournament's top four seeds.
"To be on the winners' side of the bracket is a big thing this year," Smith said. "We get to play one of the best teams in the state in Glenbard East. It's exciting. Just being 7-3 is a better season than last year and it's exciting to keep playing."