Streamwood holds off Larkin
Larkin made one run Friday night to erase a 12-point deficit.
But Streamwood was able to stop the Royals’ fourth-quarter run before completely blowing an 8-point lead with less than 5 minutes left to sweep the regular-season matchups with a 49-46 Upstate Eight Conference River Division boys basketball victory in Streamwood.
“You have to give Larkin a lot of credit. They kept coming at us,” Sabres coach Tim Jones said.
A 3-pointer from D.J. Mustari with 3:28 left in the second quarter gave Streamwood (7-17, 3-7) a 21-9 lead. The Royals (4-20, 0-11) answered with a 12-0 run to tie the game at 21-21 with 48 seconds remaining in the first half. During the run, Larkin scored 9 points in 41 seconds as Ian Fluhler and Quantice Hunter each hit a 3-pointer and Cam Ross converted a 3-point play.
“I would have liked to not have been down 12,” Royals coach Deryn Carter said. “It had a lot to do with our energy on the defensive end. I thought we would be over that by now. But we picked it up the rest of the game.”
Streamwood’s Tim Cohen scored the final 3 points of the half as the Sabres took a 24-21 lead at the half. The Sabres increased their lead to 7, 34-27, after three quarters, getting 6 points in the quarter from Bobby Post, who finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Another 3-pointer from Mustari gave Streamwood a 40-32 lead with lead with 4:49 remaining in the fourth quarter. Fluhler hit 3 free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt as the Royals tried to come back.
Fluhler then converted a 3-point play with 2:06 left to get Larkin within 2, 43-41. Mustari scored the next 6 points, a field goal and 4 free throws, to increase the lead back to 8, 49-41, with 25 seconds left.
“I think (Mustari) has really had a good year,” Jones said. “He’s played pretty heady, for the most part. He can shoot the ball. He handles the ball well. He directs the guys out on the floor.”
Mustari led the Sabres with 15 points, 9 in the four quarter.
Fluhler’s 16 points paced Larkin. Hunter added 10 points.
The teams will meet for a third time a week from Monday in the play-in game of the Class 4A Larkin regional.
“There won’t be any secrets on that Monday,” Carter said. “It will be about who executes better.”