South Elgin stymies Elgin
South Elgin was in the zone Monday night.
A couple of them, actually.
Elgin's season is over as a result.
No. 6 South Elgin played zone defense to great effect for the entirety of a 52-29 Class 4A regional victory over No. 9 Elgin at Chesbrough Field House in Elgin.
The Storm (13-19) used a 2-3 zone defense in the first half and switched to a 1-3-1 after halftime. Elgin's top quarterly production against either look was 8 points.
"It worked really well for us and it really shut them down," South Elgin sophomore Lane McVicar said.
Elgin (5-27) shot 25 percent from the field (9 of 36), but 3-point shooting failed the Maroons. Elgin missed 19 of 21 attempts from 3-point range, including all 10 second-half tries.
"They really studied us and it showed," said Elgin junior forward Jeff Lomax, a bright spot with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks. "We've struggled against zone all year. They really used their length to their advantage and really got after it."
South Elgin led 20-15 at halftime, thanks to a pair of 3-pointers from sophomore guard Drew Cwik and 6 points off the bench from 6-foot-3 junior Wyatt Steurer.
The Maroons made only one third-quarter basket, but they stayed within 28-21 through three quarters by holding the Storm to 4 baskets in 13 attempts.
South Elgin scored 24 fourth-quarter points to pull away. Consecutive buckets by Dylan Marquis and John Aaron Wafford extended its advantage to 37-23 with 4:12 to play.
The victory advances the Storm to an Elgin regional semifinal against No. 2 St. Charles North (21-9) on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
No. 3 St. Charles East (23-7) takes on No. 5 Streamwood (15-15) in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader.
St. Charles North defeated South Elgin 45-27 in St. Charles on Dec. 7. Turnovers plagued the Storm in that game. Will South Elgin coach Brett Johnson play zone defense against St. Charles North and 6-foot-9 Bradley recruit Connor Linke?
"We're going to throw everything we can at them and see what we can make of it," Johnson said. "We know we can compete with them because we did it in December. We just had a lot of lazy plays from a lot of young kids. If we find ways to make our shots, we can give ourselves a chance. It's going to be a battle. They're well-tested against some extremely high-level opponents."
"We have to be disciplined," Cwik said. "The last time we played, I felt we threw the ball around. We just weren't mentally prepared for them. Well be a different team. We'll be ready to fight."
Monday's loss ended a trying season for Elgin. First-year coach Todd Allen was hired in August, well after summer ball concluded.
"We had a lot of ups and downs. A lot of teams have that," Allen said. "One thing I am proud of is they did stick together for most part and they did fight for us at times. We are proud of them sticking together because a lot of teams would have folded."
McVicar and Cwik each scored 10 points to lead South Elgin.