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Larkin holds off Glenbard East in Upstate Eight win

Respect the process.

If there is one thing Larkin boys basketball coach Deryn Carter is harping on this season, a year after his team advanced to the IHSA Class 4A supersectional, it's that.

"Right now, we're too worried about results," Carter said Thursday after Larkin (2-3) escaped Glenbard East with a 70-69 Upstate Eight victory.

"We're worried about results instead of worrying about the things that get you to the result.

"Too many times, we didn't know who we were guarding, too many times we weren't executing things we wanted to do defensively, and that comes with a lot of inexperience."

But a game like Thursday's, especially so early in the season, can go a long way to fixing those issues, said senior Armani Ivy.

Ivy scored 13 points and grabbed 5 rebounds and was an integral part of a 14-4 run late in the game that staved off a pair Rams' 3-pointers with less than 20 seconds to go.

"You have to trust in his planning," Ivy said of Carter. "Respect him and trust in his plan."

Added senior Adrian Colen-York, who finished with 18 points for Larkin: "We've got to do what he tells us to do on the court, box out, rebound, and all that."

After a seesaw first three quarters, it looked as if Glenbard East might start pulling away, thanks to a pair of 3-pointers from freshman guard Michael Nee. That gave the Rams a 52-47 lead at the end of the third period.

But it didn't stay that way for long. With 3:37 to go in the game, senior Darnell Wilder hit on a 3 from the left arc, while Ivy did likewise from the left corner at 2:13. After a pair of Ivy free throws with 43.6 left, the Royals had a 69-63 lead that seemed insurmountable.

Wrong. Guard Jack Ryan canned a three-pointer with 20.2 seconds left, and after Colen-York made 1 of 2 free throws, Rams' freshman guard Danny Snyder hit another 3 at 5.6 seconds.

It wasn't quite enough, though, as a three-quarter length shot by Ryan at the buzzer fell just short.

Ryan said though his team is 0-5, there has been vast improvement since Game 1.

"It's completely different," Ryan said. "We're a very young team, so it took us a little bit to get it going, but I think it's going in the right direction."

Keep your eye on the freshmen Nee (10 points) and Snyder (7 points) going forward. The future is bright in Lombard for those two reasons.

"I don't think it's a secret that they are the best two shooters in the program," first-year coach Eric Kelly said. "They're on the floor for two reasons: One, they can shoot the ball, and two, they have a very high basketball IQ.

  Larkin's Tramare Reed battles for a rebound with a host of players in a boys basketball game against Glenbard East in Lombard on Thursday, Dec. 1. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Larkin's Jackson Casebeer stops a shot by Glenbard East's Demontay Mack in a boys basketball game in Lombard on Thursday, Dec 1, John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Larkin's Tramare Reed and Glenbard East's Danny Snyder chase a loose ball in a boys basketball game in Lombard on Thursday, Dec. 1. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Colen-York Glenbard East's Jack Ryan blocks a last-second shot by Larkin's Adrian at the end of the first half in a boys basketball game in Lombard on Thursday, Dec. 1. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
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