Crystal Lake South comes back to beat Prairie Ridge
After three quarters of less than stellar basketball, Crystal Lake South's chances of beating District 155 rival Prairie Ridge for a third time this season seemed bleak.
Shooting 7 of 30 from the field for 23 percent through 24 minutes, the second-seeded Gators trailed PR 32-22 heading into the fourth quarter.
South saved its best for last.
Spearheaded by a 17 -0 run, the Gators connected on all 6 shots they took in the final quarter including 4 of 4 from 3-point range in posting a 44-41 win over the stunned Wolves in Huntley Class 4A regional semifinal boys basketball action Tuesday night.
Crystal Lake South (18-10) will play top-seeded Rockford Jefferson for the regional title Friday at 7 p.m. Jefferson defeated fourth-seeded Huntley 61-56.
"We held the fort with our defense through the first three quarters," said South coach Matt LePage. "We rushed our shots and didn't handle their pressure very well. We just couldn't score. We finally were able to string some shots together in the fourth quarter. They are so well-coached, We played well when we had to."
Trailing 34-23 with 6:50 left, the Gators mounted their valiant comeback with three 3-pointers, 2 by Zach Geske and 1 from Kyle Bartusch to cut the to 2, 34-32 with 4:58 remaining.
A layup and 2 free throws by Tyler Baker, 2 free throws from Josh Friesen and a layup by Geske completed the 17-point surge by the Gators. With 1:55 left, South led 40-34.
The Wolves (16-13) broke the over 5-minute scoring drought on a 3 by Dylan Stenzel to make the score 40-37. PR climbed to within 1, 42-41, on a layup by Logan Card with 39 seconds left.
Geske nailed a pair of free throws to give South a 44-41 lead with 18 ticks left.
After a time out, PR set up a last second 3. Payton Otto's shot from beyond the arc fell short and the Gators celebrated with a 3-point win.
"We got a good shot with our best shooter," said PR coach Corky Card. "That's all you can ask. It was a war."
Geske led South with 13 points including three 3s.
"It was nice to hit some shots in the fourth quarter," said Geske. "It was a great win."
Bartusch scored 12 points with two huge treys in the fourth quarter.
"I am not usually a 3-point shooter," said Bartusch. "The first three quarters were frustrating."
Otto led PR with 16 points.