Experience pays off as Larkin nips Elgin
Seasoning matters, according to the Larkin boys basketball team.
The Royals said their experience in big games made the difference Friday night when things got hectic in the final minute of an 84-80 victory in the crosstown rivalry game at Elgin's Chesbrough Field House.
Larkin, which returns seven seniors and junior standout Christian Negron, a third-year varsity starter, looked every bit like a battle-tested, defending regional champion when the Royals fended off a late push by improved Elgin.
Larkin senior guards AJ Hunter and Keyvon Kyles scored 17 points apiece and Negron, who went to the bench with 4 fouls with 2:39 left in the third quarter, finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
"We were in sectionals last year and played the top team in the state," Kyles said. "I think we just kept our composure. Yeah, of course the game is sloppy at times. It's the Elgin-Larkin game and there's a lot of nerves going on. I could see it in our body language that we never got frantic or were like 'Oh, my God.' We just stayed composed."
The victory was Larkin's ninth straight over Elgin, a record for consecutive victories by the Royals in the 128-game series. Elgin holds the record for consecutive series wins with 11 and the Maroons still hold the upper hand overall, 79-49.
Elgin (4-2) trailed by 9 at the half but made a fourth-quarter push with Negron on the bench. Senior guard Desmond Douglas scored 2 of his career-high 32 points on a driving layup with 22 seconds left to trim the Larkin lead to 80-78.
However, the Maroons had no timeouts left to set up their defense. The Royals inbounded against an Elgin press and Kyles broke it by dribbling past an attempted sideline trap. He passed ahead to reserve Kashmir Ivy, who rifled a pass to Negron cutting through the lane for a two-handed dunk and a 4-point lead with 13 seconds left.
"I used a couple too many timeouts early to gain our composure because we're a little younger than them," Elgin coach Mike Sitter said. "It came back to bite me in the end and that's on me. We couldn't properly discuss how we wanted to guard them. We wanted to switch up man and zone a little bit on the fly and it wasn't working. We were trying to decide who to foul and the kids were getting the wrong messages."
The Maroons immediately countered with another Douglas drive, but his shot was blocked by the long reach of Negron (6-foot-6). Kyles gathered the ball, drew a foul and sank a pair of free throws to give Larkin an 84-78 lead with 6 seconds left.
It wasn't a defensive clinic by either team, but Larkin coach Deryn Carter will take it ahead of Saturday's showcase matchup against East St. Louis at the UIC Pavillion at 1 p.m.
"That's a high-level basketball game just in the competitiveness," Carter said. "It wasn't high level in the Xs and Os, but the competitiveness and the environment, you can't ask for anything more."
Junior Reggie Cole sank a pair of 3-pointers and finished with 15 points while senior Lavion Baldwin and junior Tim Wolf each contributed 9 points for Elgin.