St. Viator rolls into 3A sectional

Don't be misled by the final score.

St. Viator's 67-35 boys basketball Class 3A regional title victory Friday night at Cahill Gymnasium in Arlington Heights wasn't an easy game for the Lions by any means.

Especially in the first half.

Chicago Public League Blue North champion Sullivan, which came into the contest with a 24-7 record, gave Viator all it could handle through most of two quarters.

The Lions broke the game open with a 14-point run at the end of the first half, then outscored the Tigers 20-3 in the third quarter to secure the win.

"The first half we were kind of unsettled," said Lions senior guard Bill Huang. "Maybe we were a little nervous. We just had to settle down and get it together, and play like we're supposed to play."

"They tried to triangle-and-two me and Jerry (senior teammate Jeremiah Hernandez)," said Viator senior Treyvon Calvin of the Sullivan defensive effort. "They took us out of our game a little bit. Once we figured it out, my teammates stepped up."

Connor Kochera led the Lions (24-6) with 13 points, while senior Paris Pope scored 13 for the Tigers.

The Lions advance to the Grayslake Central sectional to play East Suburban Catholic Conference rival St. Patrick at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Viator beat Pat's 60-42 on Dec. 18.

"We kind of lost focus near the end of the first half," said Sullivan coach Julian Williiams, "but I'm proud of our boys' effort. I think we set a school record for most wins this season.

"Viator is a great team," added Williams. "Jeremiah Hernandez and Trey Calvin,(the Lions' co-captains) - we know what they're capable of."

The scored was tied through most of the defensive-minded first stanza until a driving layup by Hernandez put Viator ahead.

The Lions led just 16-15 just minutes before intermission when a steal by Kevin Murphy and a layup from Calvin sparked the Viator surge.

And when Calvin closed out the half with 2 free throws, the Lions' advantage was 30-15.

"It's the playoffs and we had the jitters offensively and defensively," said Kochera, a junior guard. "We figured things out near the end of the second quarter and just went on from there."

"At halftime we talked about limiting the turnovers, keep moving the ball, and get some open shots. They (Sullivan) got in foul trouble, and the defense we play tends to get people tired. We're in great shape right now."

Calvin opened the second half with a steal and fed Kochera for a layup, then Kochera nailed a 3-pointer moments later.

Viator senior Patrick Hammarlund scored 5 third-quarter points and the Lions' defense kicked into high gear as they shut down the Tigers' attack.

The regional hosts took a 50-18 lead into the fourth quarter, where Lions junior Patrick Schumacher scored 6 points off the bench while teammates Michael Huene and Jake Sullivan each had 4.

Calvin finished with 10 points, Michael Campagna had 9, Hernandez tallied 6, while Kochera led his team on the boards with 5 rebounds.

"Great win, incredible feeling," said 6-5 Viator junior center Matt Geary. "We're excited to advance. It's time to keep going and keep winning. We had to respond to some adversity early on. Then we started to play our game."