Wheaton St. Francis basketball coach Mike Harper gave his team ample time to celebrate its stunning last-second victory over Walther Lutheran Tuesday night.
”I let them celebrate on the bus ride home to Wheaton,” Harper said.
”After that we started thinking about Friday.”
Friday, the Spartans take on St. Benedict in the finals of the Lemont Class A sectional.
St. Francis advanced when guard Dan Lenert hit a 32-footer at the buzzer to upset Walther Lutheran, the state`s third-place finisher a year ago, 61-59. St. Benedict advanced rather easily, 59-47 over Luther North. Ralph Davis led the way with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 7 blocked shots.
The teams have not met this season, but both coaches scouted their opposition this week.
”I was impressed,” St. Benedict coach Mike Stiglic said. ”We`re playing a team that can play with anybody. I consider us the underdog.”
St. Francis (24-3) is led by its dominating center, 6-foot-6-inch Jason Gilroy. Tuesday, the senior outplayed Walther`s Andrew Amaya, an AP All-Stater. Gilroy had 19 points to Amaya`s 11 despite seeing limited action in the second half due to foul trouble.
”We have to keep Gilroy from getting the ball underneath,” said Stiglic, whose tallest players are Davis and 6-foot-5-inch center Robert Heinze. ”He could kill us under there. They are the best team we`ve seen all year feeding the post.”
St. Benedict (16-10) will look to Davis to lead it on both ends of the court, the way he did against Luther North.
”Luther put a box-and-one on Davis and he still got his points,” Harper said.
Harper is trying to guard against a letdown after Tuesday`s emotional victory.
”That Walther game had a championship atmosphere but it wasn`t a championship game,” he said. ”I told my kids it was just a first-round game and we have to put it out of our minds.”
In another top Class A matchup Friday, Luther South will battle Aurora Christian at Marseilles.
Luther South (27-2) is led by its guard tandem of leading scorer Marlon Everett (15 points per game) and David Wilson.
”We have to stop their guards from penetrating,” Aurora Christian
(26-2) coach Don Davidson said. ”They are quick and run the floor well.”
Luther South coach Tony Rainey is concerned about the inside play of Aurora`s super sophomore, Marc Davidson. Davidson averages 19.3 points and 17 rebounds a game.
”I hope to have a turnover every time he touches it,” joked Rainey, who will count on center George Conditt (8.8 rebounds) inside. ”We could be in trouble.”
