Larkin splits at Rockford

For Larkin's boys' basketball team, it's all about getting better as a team right now.

The Royals learned some good, if difficult lessons at the hands of Rockford East in the District 205 Tipoff Tournament in Rockford.

The E-Rabs raced out to a 27-8 lead, withstood a Larkin rally in the middle periods, then pulled away again for a 76-49 victory.

"We're going to leave a better basketball team," said Larkin coach Deryn Carter. "We know the quality of their team and we're still trying to find out ours. We're young, we're learning, so it's good. It was a good learning experience for our guys."

Marcus Green scored 10 of his team-high 12 points in the second quarter for Larkin. Pierre Black added 11 and Victor Perez 9 with 7 rebounds.

The big, athletic E-Rabs wasted no time taking control. Larkin led only once, at 1-0 after East was assessed a technical foul for hanging on the rim during warmups and Perez made the foul shot. The E-Rabs proceeded to score 14 of the next 16 points.

A 9-0 run put East up 36-15 midway through the second quarter, but Larkin closed the half on a 12-2 run to make it 38-27 at halftime.

The Royals pulled as close as 45-35 on a layup by Jashon Johnson-Neals, but that was as close as they got. The E-Rabs used runs of 12-0 and 9-0 to open a 66-40 lead early in the final period.

East outrebounded the Royals, 42-22, and forced 20 turnovers. Sincere Parker scored 22 points to lead the E-Rabs while Chris Burrell added 15.

It was the Royals' second game of the day in the uniquely formatted tournament with games at all 4 District 205 schools and an unbalanced schedule featuring teams from as far away as Florida and California. In the earlier game, the Royals beat Freeport, 72-61.