Boys basketball: Kimme steps up in Kaneland’s sectional final victory against Crystal Lake South

Connor Kimme buried a drought‑breaking 3-point shot, slid over to take a charge on the next trip down the basketball court, and swung Friday’s Class 3A boys sectional final back to Kaneland for good.

After his shot gave the Knights their first points in almost seven minutes and reclaimed the lead late in the third quarter, he saw Crystal Lake South’s Noah Cook driving and beat him to the spot.

Kimme took the charge, and seconds later Marshawn Cocroft drilled a 3 as Kaneland seized control of a 51-41 win in the Woodstock North sectional championship.

“They were making a bit of a run, and once I hit that 3 that switched the momentum a little bit,” Kimme said. “When they came down, one of our scouts was they like to drive and they don’t really stop.”

So when Kimme saw Cook heading toward the basket, he said he knew from what the coaches told him if he slid over and tried to take the charge, he’d get it.

And get it he did.

“It was just a huge turning point for us,” Kimme said. “After that point we just kind of excelled past them.”

The Knights will face Morton in the Class 3A DeKalb supersectional at NIU at 6 p.m. Monday, the second straight year they’ve reached the Elite Eight.

Kaneland (34-0) had a hard time getting its offense going against the zone defense of the Gators (27-8). Kimme was the main offensive source, dropping in 14 points in the first half as the Knights built a 28-22 lead at halftime.

“It was nice to see him step up,” Kaneland coach Ernie Colombe said. “They were going to try to keep Marshawn and Jeffrey (Hassan) occupied, and we’ve been talking about that for weeks. Not because of them, but in general. That seems to be the game plan against us. But we feel we have guys who can hit shots.”

Cocroft hit a 3-pointer with 1:05 left in the second to put the Knights up 28-19. Kaneland didn’t score again until Kimme’s 3 with 2:01 left in the third.

In the interim the Gators took their first lead of the game on a David McFadden layup, going up 30-28 after Carson Trivellini tied things up on a layup.

“As a point guard, I let the team know we’re good, keep pushing,” Cocroft said. “With a zone like how they run, you have to be patient. When we get the shots that are open, we have to hit those shots.”

The game stayed within four points or less until Cocroft hit another 3-pointer with 3:25 left, pushing the lead to 45-39. Cook followed with a layup, but Hassan got his first field goal of the game with a dunk, then followed by drawing a charge on Trivellini.

That was the fifth foul on the Gators’ leading scorer, who finished with nine points. Crystal Lake South didn’t score again, and the rest of Kaneland’s points came from the free-throw line.

“We never put our heads down,” Cocroft said. “When we do, they’re going to keep attacking us. And we’re going to fall down. We didn’t do that tonight. We kept our composure. And we hit shots and went on a little run at the end of the third.”

Kimme finished with 17 points, five rebounds and two steals. Cocroft had 16 points. Hassan had six points, all in the second half, with 11 rebounds and two blocks.

Nick Stowasser led the Gators with 13 points and five steals. Trivellini and Ryan Morgan each had a team-best six rebounds. Cook added 10 points.

The defensive performance helped the Knights overcome their lowest offensive points total of the season. The Gators scored 92 on Wednesday in a semifinal win over Sycamore.

“That was the key tonight. They put up 90-whatever,” Colombe said. “We played really good defense tonight. They’re a really good team. They had a lot of mismatches and I thought our guards did a good job of not letting them get going.”

The Knights are looking for their first trip to state in the current playoff format. They’ll have to get past the Potters (29-4), who beat Kankakee on Friday 61-48.

Morton hasn’t lost since Dec. 30, a 50-41 defeat at the hands of Mt. Carmel. The Knights lost 68-28 to eventual state champ DePaul College Prep in the Hoffman Estates supersectional last year.

“We know as we get farther and farther, these teams are going to be even better than before,” Cocroft said. “Having that experience, we know how tough it is to go play somebody in a bigger environment. Having that experience, that will help us out.”