Spartans not ready to stop

Why stop now?

That seemed to be the attitude of the St. Francis boys basketball team after Wednesday's 53-46 defeat of No. 3-seeded Chicago Crane in Class 3A sectional semifinal action at Riverside-Brookfield High School. The seventh-seeded Spartans (19-9) were not supposed to beat No. 2 St. Joseph in Friday's regional final, and they were not supposed to beat the Cougars (14-9) on Wednesday.

But this St. Francis squad and its memorable run continue to accomplish feats that few expected them to reach.

"These kids just keep amazing me," said Spartans coach Shawn Healy, whose surprising team will face top-seeded Marshall in Friday's sectional final. "It's coming together. It's just one of those rides you enjoy going on."

Against Crane, Spartans star Brian McMahon was limited to 10 points, but that didn't stop him from playing a big role in yet another big win. The senior forward added team highs of 9 rebounds and 3 blocked shots while also dishing out assists at key situations during his team's 19th victory.

"It's kind of hard to believe we're winning these games," McMahon said. "But we've beaten a bunch of really tough teams and it will give us a lot of confidence going into the Marshall game."

The Spartans have had confidence from beyond the arc all season long and it was apparent again Wednesday. Dan McCoy nailed five 3-pointers on his way to leading St. Francis with 18 points, while Jack Purdom hit a pair of 3s during a critical second quarter in which the Spartans shot 6 of 7 and outscored Crane 18-9.

"If you told me that Brian would only score 10 points I wouldn't think we'd have any chance tonight," said Purdom, who finished with 8 points and 4 rebounds. "But these past few weeks we've been playing real good teams and we've played pretty well. We're reaching our peak now and playing our best basketball."

Healy admitted afterward that one of the night's biggest shots -- a 3-pointer by McCoy with 1:35 left to play and the Spartans clinging to a 43-40 lead -- may not have been textbook but does sum up his team's magical run.

"My mind was saying no, but in my heart of hearts I said take it," Healy said. "The guy's got guts. But that's kind of what you need to beat a team like Chicago Crane. You've got to take some chances."

So why not give it a go against No. 1 Marshall?

"I've seen Marshall and they're pretty good," Healy added. "But why not? Let's go after the best."