Larkin upends D-C, gets regional title shot
The rebuilding Larkin boys basketball program took an important step forward with Tuesday's 53-48 victory over Dundee-Crown in a Class 4A Huntley regional semifinal.
Trailing by 5 points early in the fourth quarter, the Royals erupted for a 17-4 run to take control. The victory is Larkin's first postseason win since the Royals defeated St. Charles East in a regional play-in game on March 2, 2009.
"It feels really good," junior guard Quentin Ruff said. "This is a big step for the Larkin program."
No. 3 Larkin (16-11) advances to Friday's regional championship game against No. 1 Huntley (25-3). The Red Raiders defeated No. 5 DeKalb 40-37 in Tuesday's first semifinal.
Larkin's moment of truth came early in the fourth quarter with the Royals trailing. Rather than look to coach Deryn Carter for motivation, the Royals fired themselves up.
"We called a timeout when were down 4 or 5, and it was said before I said it that the game wasn't over, that there was plenty of time," Carter said. "Some of our guys who were on the court were young, but some of the guys on the bench were seniors. You should have heard the seniors telling the younger guys it wasn't over, to keep fighting and play it one possession at time. We'll take it."
Larkin's defense proved too much to handle for No. 2 Dundee-Crown (16-11). The Royals used a full-court press, quick hands and quicker feet to force the Chargers into 19 turnovers, which offset D-C's 31-20 rebounding advantage.
"They did a good job of pressuring us," D-C coach Lance Huber said. "It wasn't like we were throwing it away on purpose. Larkin did a good job. They forced the issue and, to their credit, they came away with the win."
The Royals held D-C leading scorer Brandon Rodriguez to 4 points, but the Chargers got a lift off the bench from Bruce Dantzler (9 points) and Cordero Parson (7 points).
"They had a great game plan," said D-C senior Kyle Bernhard, who hit a trio of 3-pointers and finished with a team-best 12 points. "They came out ready to play and props to them. Good luck to them. I know coach Carter, and he really did a good job with those guys. I was really impressed, just sad to see it end."
Dundee-Crown took a 39-34 lead with 6:28 to play on a layup by junior Dylan Kissack (7 points, 5 rebounds), but Larkin responded with a fast-break basket from junior Quantice Hunter (9 points) and a bank shot from sophomore Derrick Streety (7 points).
Larkin senior captain Ian Fluhler tied the game 41-41 on a 3-pointer with 3:52 left.
D-C took its last lead on a lefty hook in the paint by Thomas McNally (9 points), but the Royals answered with a baseline jump shot from sophomore Drew Jones (team-high 11 points) and a 3-pointer from Hunter, courtesy of Streety's kickout pass.
The Royals shot 7 of 20 from the free throw line, but they hit enough down the stretch to keep the Chargers from making a final push.
"I told the guys some times you can look back at everything, but the other team made some plays," Huber said. "I thought that was the case tonight. Larkin deserved to win. They made plays and they did an excellent job."
"Our guys played hard," Carter said. "That's a tough first-round matchup. Dundee-Crown is good, obviously, being the No. 2 seed. We'll take it and move on.
"We really wanted to play Huntley on the road for a regional championship. Be careful what you wish for, right? We'll see."