A surprising celebration for Schaumburg

A few weeks ago Schaumburg figured to be hosting a net-cutting celebration for someone else in its Class 4A boys basketball regional.

But on Friday night, there were the Saxons climbing the ladder to get their surprising piece of history amidst a swarm of their superfans and family. Fittingly, senior captain Declan Geraghty capped it off by whipping around the net in celebration after the 13th seed won its 13th regional title with a 44-30 victory over 11th seed and Mid-Suburban West rival Hoffman Estates.

"We were hoping," said Schaumburg senior Glenn Frost. "We talked before the game about getting ours and that we had to take it."

Frost came off the bench to score a career-high 18 points on 6-for-8 shooting, junior Javon McDonald scored 9 of his 11 points in the second half and Geraghty did his usual part with 8 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists.

The Saxons' (16-11) stifling man-to-man defense converted 25 turnovers into 21 points as they advanced to Wednesday's 7:30 p.m. Waukegan sectional semifinal against No. 2 Deerfield (25-3), which won its regional 56-37 over Libertyville.

"As a team we've come together the last few games," Geraghty said after the Saxons' third win over Hoffman this season. "Our potential is out of proportion and we can compete with any team."

Playing as a team is the biggest difference now for the Saxons in what has not been an easy transition year for new coach Matt Walsh. But Tuesday's upset of third-seed Fremd was something Walsh believed was possible.

"We've been in just about every game all year and obviously we have a lot of momentum now," Walsh said. "Honestly, I thought we could win this regional."

So did Hoffman (15-13) after its 22-point fourth quarter and comeback win over sixth-seed Zion-Benton. That momentum continued when Kevin Tiongson found Colin Conway at the end of the first quarter for a layup and an 8-6 lead.

But a short baseline turnaround by Ben Cho midway through the second quarter was Hoffman's only field goal in the next 15:56.

"Sometimes you run into a team that's just hot and boy are they hot," said Hoffman coach Bill Wandro after his team scored 12 of its points in the final 2:50. "I give our guys a lot of credit. They're a hard-working group of guys who played their hearts out but they seemed to run into a buzzsaw tonight.

"With that kind of defense and discipline on offense they'll be a very hard team to beat."

Tiongson (8 points) hit 2 free throws to give him a career-ending streak of 34 in a row and get Hoffman within 15-12 with 1:39 left in the half.

Frost's reverse layup on a backdoor feed from Mark Bielanski started a 22-6 tear that lasted until 3:48 left in the game. Geraghty, Christian Spandiary and Kurt Kempema also had assists in the decisive stretch.

"We're definitely a team that's come together in the playoffs," Frost said. "We all believe in each other."

Six-foot-6 senior Chris Baker helped choke off the inside as Hoffman's 6-7 Lance Vesper got only 3 shots and Conway (8 points) took two.

"I thought we were energized and our intensity was very good," Geraghty said of Schaumburg's fewest points allowed since a 61-26 win over Rolling Meadows on Nov. 27, 2001. "We shut down their post play and we were well-prepared for all of their plays."

And now the Saxons are preparing for a trip to Waukegan. "It's awesome," Frost said.