Aboona rings up 33 to spark St. Viator past Johnsburg
Richard McLoughlin sealed the biggest victory in St. Viator boys basketball history with a kiss Friday night.
The senior and third-year varsity starter had just grabbed a rebound in the final minute of the Class 3A Vernon Hills sectional championship game with Johnsburg. And McLoughlin turned and blew a kiss toward the joyous Viator fans and former teammate Jim Platania who were part of the full house of 2,000.
It wasn't long before McLoughlin and his Viator teammates and coaches were hugging and celebrating wildly after claiming its first sectional championship with a 66-54 victory.
"My sophomore year (Platania) did that to our fans at Loyola," McLoughlin said of a regional final upset over Glenbrook North. "I knew we had sealed it up so it was kind of remembrance thing."
Senior point guard Alan Aboona helped wrap up the latest portion of the Lions' (24-6) memorable season as he equaled his career high of 33 points by hitting all 13 of his free throws and going 6-for-11 on 3-pointers. He also had 2 assists and no turnovers for the second straight game.
"We've put so much effort into this and the whole season," Aboona said. "We've never quit. Our student section was great and got everyone going."
Now Viator is going to the supersectional at Hoffman Estates High School at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday on an eight-game winning streak to play perennial Public League power Marshall (25-7), which beat Crane 78-63 for the Riverside-Brookfield sectional title.
"I'm just emotionally spent right now," said Viator coach Joe Majkowski, who also won the school's only East Suburban Catholic Conference title in 1997 during his 23-year tenure. "What a thrill. To be this far is a dream."
The Lions also stopped strong starts to the game and second half by Johnsburg (27-3) that had nightmarish potential.
The Skyhawks scored the first 7 points and led 11-6 as 6-foot-6 Iowa-bound football star C.J. Fiedorowicz powered to 6 of his 16 points. But Viator switched from its man-to-man to a 2-3 zone and Fiedorowicz only got 1 second-quarter shot.
Senior Richard Markovits (7 points) came off the bench to help spark the Lions as they started solving Johnsburg's 2-3 zone. McLoughlin and Aboona combined to do all of the offensive damage and hit three consecutive 3s in a 15-2 tear for a 26-16 halftime lead.
"I was a little rattled," Aboona said of not qualifying in the 3-point contest and missing 4-of-5 first-quarter attempts. "Once I got in the rhythm of the game I got a little more comfortable and it carried throughout the game."
Mike Dixon (17 points), Fiedorowicz and Tyler Chambers (12 points) led an 11-point run to get Johnsburg back in it at 29-29 with 3:02 left in the third.
"Our guys did a good job of coming out and executing what we changed," said Johnsburg coach Luke Ravlin.
Viator switched back to man-to-man and Aboona hit 2 free throws and found McLoughlin for a 3.
Then, just before time ran out in the third quarter, Aboona pump faked and flipped up an off-balance, one-hand 3 that went in from the top of the key as Fiedorowicz was called for a foul.
"I kind of just threw it up there hoping for a foul and luckily it went in," Aboona said.
"That was a huge momentum swing at the end of the third and I thought they blew the call completely," Ravlin said. "But again, those are the breaks and they were able to take advantage and that's a credit to them."
King and Aboona hit 3s for a 44-32 lead as the Lions finished 10-for-20 behind the arc. They iced it with 20-for-26 free-throw shooting in the final 5:10 from Aboona (10-for-10), McLoughlin, Markovits, King and Jack Etchingham.
"Words can't describe it - it's unbelievable," Markovits said.
"I really didn't think we'd make it this far," McLoughlin said. "I knew we'd win the regional but to come this far is unbelievable. It's almost like a dream."
And it's not over yet.