Elgin rolls past Streamwood

Friday night was exactly what the Elgin boys basketball team needed.

The Maroons have been winning, but not playing to the level they expect. That changed Friday at Streamwood.

Elgin took control early and didn’t let up in a 67-28 Upstate Eight Conference River Division victory over the Sabres.

“This is the game we get back on track,” said Elgin junior guard Arie Williams, who scored a game-high 20 points. “This is a great game for us to get back to what we want to do and get a little of swagger back.”

The victory is Elgin’s fifth straight and keeps the Maroons in the hunt to share the UEC River title with St. Charles North. North had finished at 9-3 in the division. Elgin is 8-3 and plays Geneva at home Tuesday.

The Maroons (21-3) will need to play like they did Friday night to avenge their earlier loss to Geneva. Elgin missed its first 5 shots against the Sabres (4-20, 1-11), but then went on a 14-0 run and the rout was on. Williams hit a 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer to give Elgin a 19-4 lead.

Streamwood didn’t hit a field goal in the second quarter until there was less than 30 seconds remaining and trailed 34-10 at halftime.

An 11-0 run in the third quarter gave the Maroons a 50-15 lead.

“We’ve had a problem sustaining effort,” Elgin coach Mike Sitter said. “This is the first time since Christmas that we came out and played with the same intensity for four quarters. It’s nice to see.”

Williams was 4-for-5 from behind the 3-point line. Kory Brown, who did not play in the fourth quarter, had 13 points and 7 rebounds. Dennis Moore added 10 points.

Brandon Larkin-Guilfoyle led the Sabres, who have lost nine consecutive games, with 10 points and 9 rebounds. Streamwood shot just 24 percent (11 of 46).

“We were outplayed, out-hustled and out-coached,” Streamwood coach Tim Jones said.