Larkin's Negron reaches 1,000 in win over West Aurora

Larkin senior guard Keyvon Kyles proved in Tuesday's 68-60 victory over West Aurora it's not how you start but how you finish that matters.

The visiting Blackhawks twice cut a 10-point halftime deficit to 3 in the second half only to see Kyles double Larkin's cushion with 3-pointers. He sank two more 3-pointers in the game's final four minutes, each time extending the lead from 6 points to 9 as the Royals snapped a 3-game skid in Upstate Eight crossover play.

Normally a starter, he came off the bench after arriving late for the game.

"Not starting definitely throws off your rhythm," said Kyles, who finished with 12 points. "It was definitely a weird little thing, but I finished pretty good. That's all that matters."

Kyles helped protect a lead largely built by junior forward Christian Negron and senior guard AJ Hunter.

Negron, who needed 6 points to reach 1,000 in his three-year varsity career, scored 18 first-half points on the way to a 23-point, 8-rebound performance. He became the sixth boys basketball player in school history to reach the plateau, joining Randy Engel, Tony Soskich, Sherrick Simpson, Larkin coach Deryn Carter and Dayvon Ellis.

Negron scored his 1,000th career point when he sank his second 3-pointer of the first quarter. He and the Royals chose not to stop the game to acknowledge the milestone.

"In the locker room we talked about it and they gave me a round of applause," Negron said of the response from his coaches and teammates at halftime, "but during the game we didn't feel it was necessary to stop it. It was an individual thing and this program is about teamwork."

Hunter finished with 19 points. After a Kyles 3-pointer staked the Royals (13-10) to a 63-54 lead with 2:16 to play, Hunter scored on consecutive breakaway chances to put the game out of reach. It was an important step for a Larkin team that recently surrendered fourth-quarter leads against Geneva and Batavia.

Sophomore Camron Donatlan led West Aurora (7-16) with 21 points and 7 rebounds, but the Blackhawks turned the ball over 18 times.

"Their pressure at times really affected our offense," West Aurora coach Brian Johnson said. "When we did run decent offense, we got good looks. Unfortunately, it was only 2 or 3 possessions the entire game. Otherwise, it was one-on-one."

West Aurora junior guards DaQuan Cross and Davion Cross, normally both starters, did not play for the second straight game. Asked if he expected them to return this season, Johnson said "I don't know. I've been told not to comment."

Freshman Antwan McGhee wore DaVion's No. 5 jersey while freshman Moshe Rogers wore DaQuan's No. 10 and scored 3 points.