Larkin knocks off Elgin
A young Larkin boys basketball team plagued by injuries had experienced little success to this point in what coach Deryn Carter termed a "a weird season."
Friday's 66-45 victory over rival Elgin at Chesbrough Field House served as a beacon of hope for a squad that had all 12 players on the roster available for only the second time since the campaign began.
The Royals entered Friday's Upstate Eight Conference game with one victory to their credit, but a full lineup that included recently activated junior guard DJ Jones and talented sophomore Fernando Perez Jr. dominated the middle two quarters and propelled Larkin (2-14, 2-5). Elgin (5-12, 1-6) led 12-8 after one quarter as 6-foot-5 junior forward Jeffery Lomax scored 6 of his team-high 18 points and grabbed 3 of his 8 rebounds.
The Royals countered by outscoring the Maroons 23-8 in the second quarter to build a 31-20 halftime lead. Perez drained 3-pointers on consecutive possessions as Larkin closed the half on a 13-2 run.
Elgin turned the ball over six times in the second quarter.
"Defensively, you could tell they really wanted the ball," Lomax said. "They really wanted to get it back on the offensive side. I just have to tip my hat to them, and we have to execute better on offense. We couldn't really get into our sets. We were trying to go to fast. They kind of sped us up in that stretch."
Larkin pressure forced 9 more third-quarter turnovers by Elgin, which managed only 6 field-goal attempts in the period as a result. Larkin outscored Elgin 14-4 to take a commanding 45-24 lead through three quarters.
"We played with good energy in the first half but maybe a step slow on a rotation and a step slow on the second rotation," Carter said. "The second half, that's the best we've played defense probably since the first game at Rockford Jefferson."
Sophomore point guard Damari Wheeler-Thomas led the Royals with 18 points. Senior Jashon Johnson-Neals finished with 16 points and 7 rebounds. Perez contributed 12 points and 4 rebounds and Jones scored 9 points on three 3-pointers.
"This was the most important game of the year for us so far," Johnson-Neals said. "Hopefully, we can keep it going."
Larkin committed only 8 turnovers in the game's first three quarters and finished with 12.
"If we take care of the ball the way we did the first three quarters, we can beat a lot of people," Carter said.
Junior guard Darien Jackson scored 9 points for Elgin.
The Royals have won 18 of the last 19 games against the Maroons but still trail the all-time series 80-58.