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Douglas' big night propels Elgin past Streamwood

Late Thursday, Desmond Douglas lamented in a tweet that Friday would be his last boys basketball game at Elgin High School's Chesbrough Field House.

He sure made the most of it.

The senior guard scored 26 points in a 57-51 Elgin defeat of Streamwood on Senior Night, including 8 in a critical 10-2 run after the Sabres had cut the lead to 44-41 with 3:50 to go. He also scored 11 in the first quarter to give the Maroons a 17-6 advantage.

But to hear Douglas tell it, Elgin's other seniors were the big contributors Friday.

"A lot of the guys who might not play as much who are seniors got in the game and made a big contribution," he said. "(Dijawon) Bonds, Omar Espinoza, they came and played some big minutes for us tonight."

In the end, though, it was Douglas who propelled the Maroons to a 17-10 overall record and a 5-5 mark in the Upstate Eight River.

"He's been our catalyst all year - we play as he goes," Elgin coach Mike Sitter said of Douglas, who's getting looks from several Division III colleges. "We keep the ball in his hands late and he's good enough to get to the free throw line. He probably leads the state in free throws - he's averaging 10 a game."

Elgin needed every one of Douglas's points. Streamwood hit 10 3-pointers, including 6 in the second half, which nearly reversed a 32-18 halftime deficit.

Streamwood used a pair of early fourth-quarter 3s by seniors Jaleel Jenkins and Joey O'Halloran to cut the lead to 44-41 with 3:50 to go, but then Douglas took over, hitting 6 of 7 free throws, along with a layup in that 10-2 run. That gave the Maroons a more comfortable 54-43 advantage, though sophomore Brendon Marton and Jenkins made it interesting in the final minute with a pair of 3s.

Elgin's 2-3 zone and full-court press in the first half led to 13 Streamwood turnovers and 6-for-20 shooting. But the Sabres made up by shooting 6-for-11 in the fourth quarter.

"It seems like we don't want to play in the first half the last few games," said Streamwood coach Paul Kowalyszyn, whose team finished its regular season 5-23 and 1-11 in the UEC River. "But we fight back - our kids never give up. I've been saying all season, it comes down to our silly mistakes."

Elgin shot 42 percent (19-for-45), but played without leading scorer Lavion Baldwin, averaging 16 ppg, who Sitter said was dismissed from the team for "failure to follow team expectations."

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