Marshall 74, Aurora Central Catholic 62

With Marshall missing three of its top four players, Aurora Central Catholic was poised for a historic upset.

It was not meant to be.

The Commandos took the lead midway through the first quarter of the Class 3A Riverside-Brookfield boys basketball sectional semifinal and never surrendered it in turning back the Chargers 74-62 Tuesday in Riverside.

"I think we have the deepest team in the state tournament," Marshall coach Courtney Hargrays said. "These kids have the heart of a champion."

"If they have Marshall (stitched) across the shirt, they're still going to be good," Aurora Central coach Nate Drye added.

Marshall, the reigning city champions with back-to-back third-place finishes in the former Class AA state tournament, improved to 27-4 and play Friday night against Crane or St. Francis, which play tonight at 7:30 p.m..

Aurora Central had its record-setting season end at 25-5.

The Chargers held the lead for the opening minutes of the first quarter, only to see Marshall close out strong for a 14-11 lead after one.

The Commandos, who were missing star forward Ryan Hare, still had plenty of weapons in reserve, using a 15-5 burst bridging the opening two quarters to take their first double-digit lead at 25-13.

But Mark Adams would be an unstoppable force playing in his final high school game.

Adams hit 3-pointers in the waning seconds of the first and second quarters to bring Aurora Central to within 30-26 at the break.

Adams poured in a game-high 34 points with an array of slashing moves -- he had three 3-points plays -- and perimeter efficiency.

"All the shots he made were of an incredibly high-degree of difficulty," Drye said.

Adams scored 7 straight points for the Chargers at one point early in the third quarter, and Aurora Central had three possessions to tie or take the lead.

It never materialized.

Marshall would go another run to build a 48-37 lead late in the third, only to see the Chargers' Anthony Kelley bury a 40-footer at the buzzer for a 49-42 lead in favor of the Commandos.

The game was still in the balance for much of the final quarter, but Marshall had too much for the Chargers.

Darius Smith led Marshall with 21 points, sixth-man Jerron Lee added 20 points, and Eric Harris had all 17 of his points after halftime.

"It wasn't their speed that killed us, it was their length," said Adams. "I think we had a chance to win."

Aurora Central twice reduced the Marshall cushion to four in the fourth quarter, but the Commandos' athleticism meant more trips to the free-throw line.

Mark Adams and Nick Czaja fouled out in the fourth quarter, and Marshall converted 15 foul shots to end the Chargers' campaign.

Kelley (13 points) and Czaja (7) combined for 20 more points for Aurora Central.