Second-half surge sends Aurora Christian to title game
The last time Dean Danos saw fans get this excited he was one of them, an eighth-grader watching his brother play for Richards.
On Wednesday, Danos was a big reason Aurora Christian's fans stormed the court. His ball-handling and 21 points 10-for-10 from the foul line helped the Eagles defeat Providence-St. Mel 75-70 in a Class 2A Aurora Christian sectional semifinal.
"The last time I saw that was in the state championship game when my brother (Peter) won a state championship," Danos said. "That's a great feeling to be a part of it, though. I just thank God every day for giving me a chance to come out here and play."
Aurora Christian (14-16) scored 50 points in the second half, up for good after C.J. Schutt and Nick Marema led a 9-2 run to open the third quarter.
It was plenty close, however. St. Mel (18-10) came within 67-66 on a 3-pointer by Kameron Kimbrough with 1 minute, 10 seconds left in the game.
Danos responded with a pair of free throws for a 69-66 lead, then St. Mel's Khalil Small threw up a runner that went in. The basket was waved off for an offensive foul, Aurora Christian's Jake Hanson drawing the charge.
"Just insane," said Hanson, as excited as his father, Eagles coach Steve Hanson.
"I haven't heard the gym like this since I've been around," said Steve Hanson, whose club seeks its first sectional title since 2000 against Chicago-Uplift in Friday's 7:30 p.m. sectional final.
St. Mel held within 2 points until Schutt made a free throw for a 73-70 lead with 13.1 seconds left. Small missed a 3-point attempt, Ryan McQuade grabbed the rebound and got the ball to Danos, who was fouled and made 2 free throws with 2.0 seconds left for the 75-70 final.
"We felt comfortable for the most part," said Danos. "The only time we got rattled was in the beginning of the fourth quarter when they came out in that 1-3-1 trap. Other than that we handled their pressure pretty well, I think."
St. Mel applied enough pressure to force 8 turnovers in a ragged first quarter it led 12-8. The Knights were up 21-12 on a mid-second quarter 3 by Kimbrough, who scored a game-high 22 points.
Aurora Christian turned the tide, though, and took momentum into the second half, down just 26-25 when freshman Jonathan Harrell swished a 3 at the halftime buzzer then was mobbed by his teammates.
"It was huge because it just showed us, like, we're OK, we're OK," Steve Hanson said.
For a second straight game, Schutt limited a strong post presence anchoring Aurora Christian's 2-3 zone defense.
St. Mel's Tevin Harris scored 12 points Schutt had 10, while McQuade scored 14 and Nick Marema 12 but fouled out with 1:03 left.
"It's been awhile since we won sectional, that's our goal," Schutt said. "Win sectional, go to state. Just take it one game at a time."