Glenbard East routs Larkin to reach semis at Elgin
Larkin stayed within arm's reach of talented Glenbard East for a half thanks to accurate long-range shooting, but the Rams closed out on 3-point shooters in the second half and their defense forced 28 turnovers in an eventual 93-58 victory at the Elgin Holiday Tournament Tuesday.
Glenbard East (9-1) advances to the tournament semifinal against Rockford Auburn (8-2) today at 8 p.m. Larkin (7-4) will face Hoffman Estates (6-4) at 5 p.m.
The Royals sank six 3-pointers in the game's first 9:32 - three by Ryan Smith (15 points) and three by Jermaine Clements (11) - to keep the game tied at 24.
However, the explosive Rams scored 16 unanswered points. Tremendous full-court pressure helped cause 8 Larkin turnovers in the second quarter and junior Jon Hill splashed three 3-pointers in a span of 50 seconds.
The Royals responded with a 14-4 run to keep it close at the half, a surge fueled by a 3-pointer by Ramadan Adili, 4 free throws from Trevor Whitehead and 3 points by senior post Garrett McDaniel. But a floater from senior guard Jack Merrithey with 2 seconds left in the half staked the Rams a 46-38 advantage at the break.
The second half was all Glenbard East. The Rams outscored the Royals 29-9 in the third quarter to break the game open. Hill led the charge with 5 third-quarter baskets en route to a 28-point night, eclipsing his previous career high of 22 points set on Monday in a win over Highland Park. He also had 6 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 blocked shots.
"Offensively, he's really starting to put the ball in the basket for us and it really opens up other aspects of the game for other guys," Glenbard East coach Scott Miller said.
Hill was modest about his offensive achievements due to what he said was his lack of execution on defense throughout the first half. It was the 6-foot-3 forward's job to shadow Smith at the 3-point line, but Smith notched five 3-pointers in 11 attempts.
"My defense was horrible, let's be honest," Hill said. "Coach told me that I scored almost 30 points but I gave up 25. That's the big thing, being more of an all-around player. I thought my defense could have been a lot better and I was probably the reason they did keep up with us in that first half."
Glenbard East's defense took Larkin completely out of its game in the second half.
"We stayed with them for about a half, and that's all it is - a half," Royals coach Deryn Carter said. "They're a great team. They're a top 15, top 20 team in the state and they showed that in the second half for sure. You've got to be able to sustain some level of energy and effort throughout the game and we weren't able to. You do that and a team like that will take advantage of it."
Junior guard Zach Miller scored 13 points for the Rams, while senior Lee Skinner added 12 points and Merrithey 10. Adili had 9 points for Larkin and McDaniel added 8.