Libertyville steals story in Johnson's return for Warren

After missing out on the Warren football team's run to the state championship game last fall due to a major knee injury, Jordan Johnson waited all basketball season to play meaningful minutes.

When Blue Devils coach Jon Jasnoch called the senior guard's number Tuesday night, it seemed, well, meaningless.

Warren trailed Libertyville by 16 points late in the third quarter of the teams' Class 4A regional semifinal in Gurnee.

"The coaches were like, 'OK, we've been talking about how well he's been doing,' " Jasnoch said. "I was worried about his endurance. But he's such a smart player and such a good defender."

Johnson scored 3 points, including a layup to open the fourth-quarter scoring, during a 17-0 run that wiped out Warren's deficit, but there was no happy ending for the Blue Devils. Libertyville didn't make a field goal in the fourth but sank 7 of 8 free throws down the stretch to pull out a 46-43 win.

"What a story," coach Brian Zyrkowski said of Johnson after his fourth-seeded Wildcats (19-11) snapped a season-worst three-game losing streak and advanced to Friday's 7 p.m. regional final at Warren against No. 5 Zion-Benton (20-10).

Johnson, who started for Jasnoch as a sophomore and junior, tore his left ACL last June 23 during summer football. He didn't make his basketball season debut until Senior Night against Stevenson and played only briefly.

"A real long process," Johnson said. "For most of the year I was doing (physical therapy) three times a week, different types of strengthening."

Who knew he would end up being in the middle of one of Warren's best comebacks of the season? He played most of the fourth quarter.

"My body was tired, but it felt good to be out there," Johnson said. "[My adrenaline] was pumping. Everybody stayed together. We didn't want to give up."

Libertyville led 39-23 after Will Moore (9 points, 5 rebounds) scored on an inbounds play with 55 seconds left in the third. Seamus Mellican, not known for his long-range shooting, then knocked down a 3-pointer for No. 13 Warren (11-19) with 33 seconds left.

The Blue Devils' momentum kept building, sparked by a defense that limited Libertyville to only 3 shots in the final quarter.

"We started trapping more, and whenever we do that, the guys get fired up," Jasnoch said. "But you can only do that for so long. You have to pick your places."

"(Warren) locked down defensively," said Libertyville guard Jackson Watson, who scored 8 points, including two 3s and 2 free throws with 38.8 seconds left. "They made it tough for us to score. Our offense was just stagnant. We weren't moving the ball like we usually do."

Jason Langevin's 2 free throws with 1:28 to go made it 17 straight points for Warren, which had its first lead (40-39) since early in the second quarter. Alexander Figueroa drained a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, but his long 3 at the buzzer was just off target.

"Our guys were a little more passive in that [fourth-quarter] stretch, and that's not really our style," Zyrkowski said. "We've been aggressive all year, and we know we can keep doing that. We're just excited. Survive and advance. We'll be ready for Friday night."

Blake Ellingson led Libertyville with 10 points. Chase Bonder made 3 of 4 free throws down the stretch and finished with 8 points. Marc Michelotti's 2 free throws gave the lead back to the Wildcats with 1:21 left. The foul shots were Libertyville's first points of the quarter.

Adnan Sarancic scored a team-high 10 points for Warren. Langevin had 9 points and 4 steals and also took 2 charges.

"They're a tough team," Zyrkowski said of the Blue Devils. "You got a junior Marc Michelotti at the line making shots and a sophomore Chase Bonder making free throws. That's what it's about - guys in this kind of moment, pressure situations, coming out on top."

Libertyville swept the regular-season series by nearly identical scores, winning 62-57 at home on Dec. 13 and 61-54 in Gurnee on Feb. 1. Warren swept Libertyville last season.

"Us seniors are all friends with those guys from Warren, and it's always fun to play against them," Jackson said. "They're always going to give us a tough game, no matter what the circumstances. It was a fun one tonight."