Bartlett cools off Larkin
Bartlett's 73-64 win against Larkin resembled an accordion: every time the Hawks started to pull away, the Royals would catch up again.
But the Hawks made the final run and came away with the Upstate Eight victory Friday in Elgin.
Conrad Luczynski had 20 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks for Bartlett. Jashon Johnson-Neals scored 22 for the Royals.
Larkin (5-16, 5-7) never led after 2-0, but the Hawks could never pull away, either. Bartlett (8-15, 5-7) led 29-22 early in the second quarter. Larkin answered with an 8-2 run to make it 31-30 and trailed just 34-31 at halftime.
Leading 49-44 late in the third before finally getting some separation, 3-pointers by Cameron Kunzer and Ian Smith made it 55-44, and the hosts never got closer than 7 the rest of the way.
"I thought the way we started on the road in a gym like this was awesome," said Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith. "From that point on, it became a matter of weathering the storm and not letting them go on 8-0 runs, 9-0 runs."
Hayden Angell had 11 points, all in the second half, and 9 rebounds, and Nick Kantzavelos also scored 11 for the Hawks, while Nicholas Bucaro added 10 off the bench. But the unsung hero may have been Clark Lewis, who finished with 6 points and 6 rebounds.
"I thought the kid who played the best game was Clark Lewis," Wolfsmith said. "He did just a great job handling the ball, making great decisions, seeing the floor, and playing good defense against guys who are quicker than he is."
Damari Wheeler-Thomas scored 14 points, Fernando Perez added 11 points, plus 9 rebounds, and DJ Jones scored 10 for Larkin.
Johnson-Neals also grabbed 9 rebounds. He scored 8 points in the third quarter, driving to the basket and either finishing or getting fouled, keeping the Royals close.
"Today we just couldn't get over the hump, and I think it's because we were a little too worried about the scoreboard or the results and not worried about the process of what it took to be a good team today," said Larkin coach Deryn Carter. "But that's part of what Bartlett was doing. They did a good job of getting us out of what we wanted to do."
Bartlett shot the ball well, hitting 53% while holding the Royals under 40% from the field. The Hawks actually shot better from the field than from the free-throw line, from where they hit just 50%.