North Chicago 71, Guerin 66

As if North Chicago hadn't faced enough determined shooters, the Warhawks had to endure a few more.

Following their 71-66 win over pesky Guerin College Prep the teams' Class 3A sectional final Friday night, the Warhawks mugged for digital and cell-phone cameras in the middle of Antioch's basketball court. A team picture was followed by another, followed by another, and yet another.

The whole process took exceptionally long.

And while some exhausted North Chicago players grew understandably aggravated, groaning, shrugging shoulders and raising eyebrows, one thing stayed consistent.

Smiles.

Suffice it to say, their fans finally got the shots they wanted. Now, the Warhawks get the shot they want.

A Marshall match.

North Chicago (25-4) will play Marshall, a 71-58 winner over Wheaton St. Francis in the Riverside-Brookfield sectional final, in the Sears Centre supersectional at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in Hoffman Estates.

"We've been playing each other since the summer," Warhawks coach Gerald Coleman said. "The players know each other. It's going to be a fun game. It's going to be an up-tempo game. We got to make every possession count."

"We've been looking forward to (playing Marshall) ever since the beginning of the season," said DeShawn Chambliss, who led North Chicago in scoring with 20 points. "We know what we got to do to get downstate. We need to keep our intensity up."

The top-seeded Warhawks did against No. 6 Guerin (17-14), and they needed to, as the Gators refused to give up and actually seemed to relish the up-tempo pace. Led by 6-foot-6 senior Josh Downen, who finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds, Guerin erased an 11-point first-quarter deficit and led 38-36 at halftime.

Sparked by Patrick Terrell, who finished with 16 points and 19 rebounds, North Chicago took a 52-49 lead into the fourth quarter. Terrell scored 9 points in the third.

The Warhawks led by as many as nine in the fourth and were up 67-60 when Guerin's Jordan Johnson splashed a 3-pointer with 38 seconds left.

Thirteen seconds later, the 5-10 senior guard pulled up and hit another 3, pulling the Gators within 67-66.

"We knew he was a great shooter," Coleman said. "We just hope that it doesn't go in. He's very difficult to stop. He's so athletic and he's so quick. It's hard to defend him."

Johnson hit 3 of his five 3s in the fourth. He led all scorers with 21 points.

"They didn't want to slow down," Terrell said of the Gators. "They had that little, fast guard (Johnson). We had to go to a box-and-one on him before we could stop him from hitting 3-pointers at the end of the game."

Chambliss helped keep Guerin at bay by sinking 4-of-5 free throws in the final 23 seconds. The three-year varsity guard made 9 of 13 foul shots overall, as North Chicago captured its first sectional title since 1972.

"We wanted the ball in Chambliss' hands," Coleman said.

Kentrall Wilson also had a double-double for North Chicago, scoring 14 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. Keith Ford added 17 points.