Down 15, Aurora Christian rallies for sectional win
Taaj Davis changed Aurora Christian from mild mannered to super faster than a speeding bullet.
The Eagles trailed Chicago Uplift by 15 points in the third quarter of Wednesday's Class 1A sectional semifinal at Harvest Christian Academy in Elgin.
Then the area's leading scorer got hot.
Davis scored 21 of his game-high 30 points in the final 11 minutes of regulation time to lead No. 1 Aurora Christian (23-6) to an 82-73 overtime victory.
"I knew in the second half that I was going to come out and have to show the type of player that I am, get some confidence and get us going from there," Davis said. "That's what I did and it led to us getting the W."
Davis scored 7 straight points in a 9-2 run to draw his team within 54-46 after three periods.
The 6-foot-1 guard later scored 10 straight fourth-quarter points to flip the momentum. He stole the ball and raced to the other end for a fast-break bucket, then hit a step back 3-pointer to draw the Eagles within 56-55.
Following a technical foul against the Uplift bench, Davis sank 2 free throws to give Aurora Christian its first lead since the second quarter. He then capped what turned out to be an 8-point trip by sinking another 3-pointer on the ensuing possession, staking the Eagles to a 60-56 lead with 5:27 remaining in regulation.
"Taaj is a special player. He just has a will about him," Aurora Christian coach Dan Beebe said. "He does everything he possibly can to keep us in the game and then take us over the top."
The Eagles' comeback was helped by foul shots. They made 32 of 46 attempts from the stripe. No. 2 Uplift (11-17) was whistled for 20 second-half fouls. Four Titans fouled out.
Uplift leading scorer Davion McCarthy was disqualified with seven minutes left after scoring a team-high 18 points. Greg Ruben (14 points) fouled out with two minutes left, yet the Titans were able to tie the game with four seconds left on a strong drive by junior Devon Harris. A last-ditch Aurora Christian shot went wide, sending the game to extra time.
Karsen Olsen scored right off the tipoff to give Aurora Christian the lead. He then hit a 3-pointer to help the Eagles outscore the Titans 13-4 in overtime.
The victory sends Aurora Christian to a sectional title game for the fourth time in five seasons. They will face Chicago Hope Academy on Friday at 7 p.m.
Davis had help. Sophomore Danny New scored 24 points, sophomore Daniel Walker added 11 points and 8 rebounds and Olsen contributed 9 points.
"The two things I really appreciate about this group of kids is they have just a tremendous amount of heart and resiliency," Beebe said. "They just don't have any quit in them."