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Orr brings end to IC Catholic season

After 6-foot-6 Orr Academy forward Tyron Mosely drove the lane and slam dunked on the IC Catholic Prep defense in the third quarter of Tuesday's Class 2A Guerin boys basketball sectional semifinal, Knights guard Luke Ricobene knew exactly what needed to be done.

Ricobene showed no fear with his driving skills and sliced his way the basket to score on a sweet reverse layup under heavy pressure. That bucket sparked an IC Catholic run that cut the deficit, but that surge just wasn't enough to overtake the Spartans. They built up a commanding early lead en route to a 66-44 victory over the Knights in River Grove.

"We had to silence the crowd and knew we had to score on that possession," Ricobene said. "I saw the opening and just took it. I hung in the air long enough."

Orr (19-5) will play the either St. Edward or DePaul College Prep game in the sectional final on Friday. IC Catholic finished the season with a 21-8 record, and with four juniors in its starting lineup, its future is bright.

Following Ricobene's dipsy-do shot, the Knights' tallest player, 6-3 forward Amari Reed, powered the ball inside, got fouled and made the free throw for the three-point play and then the lone senior in the starting lineup, Tony Gaudio, fed Ricobene with a sweet pass for a drive to cap a 7-0 run.

Reed also made a couple of free throws a possession later to pull the Knights within 42-27 with 3:20 to play in the third quarter.

Driving against the Spartans was no easy task. They are fast and put a lot of pressure on the ball. Besides Mosely, they feature 6-5 players Dannie Smith and Raekwon Drake who have long arms and can jump out of the gym. But that didn't faze IC Catholic. Ricobene led the team with 13 points and Reed scored 12 points.

"We were fearless and didn't want to lose," said Reed, who tallied 10 of his points in the third quarter." We knew we had to step up. We didn't want to get blown out by this talented team. We went strong to the basket."

"We wanted to drive and get fouled," Ricobene said. "If you get blocked, get back up and keep driving."

For the Knights, a slow start hurt them with cold shooting from the field and some unforced turnovers that fueled the high-tempo Orr offense to score quick transition points. IC Catholic only scored 5 points in the first quarter and 9 in the second quarter. It was 29-14 Orr at halftime.

"It wasn't a good pace for us," said IC Catholic coach TJ Tyrrell. "We had some signs of life in the second half, but by that time it was too late. Hats off to Orr. They are a great team.

"While it was sad to say goodbye to the seniors, the juniors feel confident for next year. There is a lot to look forward to and sometimes (a game) like this is great motivation to get you over the top the following season. It was an outstanding experience to be a part of - to play a team of that caliber, especially with a junior-dominated team."

Ricobene, Reed and the rest of the returning players will use this loss for emotional fodder next year.

"We will learn from it for next year," Ricobene said. "It will be good motivation. We are all disappointed right now. It motivates us for the off season. We will work harder to get better."

Added Reed, "We are pretty excited about next year."

For the Knights, senior Matt Sutton also chipped in 10 points, including a 3-pointer from near midcourt as the final buzzer sounded.

The Trojans were led by a game-high 16 points from Smith and 11 points apiece by Mosely and Alex Flute. They sank seven 3-pointers.

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