St. Francis de Sales was living out the dream of underdogs everywhere when it ran into a slam-dunking, shot-blocking, mean-talking nightmare by the name of Clifford Floyd.
The 6-foot-4-inch, 210-pound center with a sculpted body and a demeanor suited for a back-alley brawl led Thornwood to a 79-56 victory in the Thornridge sectional final Friday night.
With a tooth missing-it was knocked out last Tuesday-Floyd had a fierce look that would have done Mike Tyson proud. And every one of his 17 rebounds was accompanied by a resounding crack as he slapped the ball to emphasize his physical domination.
”I wanted to let them know they were on my ground,” said Floyd, who scored 19 points, blocked four shots and intimidated on countless others as the Thunderbirds claimed their first sectional title in the 19-year history of the South Holland school.
Thornwood (22-7) advances to Tuesday`s Hinsdale Central supersectional against No. 1-ranked Proviso East.
St. Francis (13-16) had upset Leo, Thornridge and Mt. Carmel, but the Pioneers didn`t want any part of Floyd.
”I could tell they were a little intimidated,” Floyd said. ”They had that look on them, and they were always looking away from me. You can tell when someone is going to challenge you. They didn`t say anything.
”On offense, I knew they couldn`t stop me. They would have to foul me, or I was going to make the shot.”
While the Pioneers shot less than 30 percent, Thornwood guard Jon Dunlop was on fire. The 6-foot senior hit eight of 11 shots, including a pair of three-pointers, to finish with 20 points. Guard Donya Witcher had a game-high 24, many off acrobatic moves.
Dunlop, Witcher and guard Mark Nardi were highly motivated against a postseason sleeper that had lulled other teams into complacency.
”We read in the newspapers how their guards were better than us,” said Nardi, who limited St. Francis scoring leader Kevin Mitchell to just three points after Mitchell burned Mt. Carmel for 26 on Wednesday. ”Me, Jon and Donya, we got all fired up.”
Nardi and Witcher combined for eight steals. Of course, it helped having Floyd to back them up. ”Once they got inside, Cliff and (6-4) Marlon Burton can intimidate anybody,” Nardi said.
The Thunderbirds used an 11-point run to seize a 15-7 lead after one quarter and were only threatened once. They had built a 26-13 lead three minutes before halftime when Mitchell and Jason Harris hit three-point shots and Harris converted a three-point play.
”They had fought back against everyone, and they did it again in the second quarter,” said Thornwood coach Al Holverson..”
But the Pioneers` magic ran out as the T-Birds responded with a nine-point burst after a timeout. The closest St. Francis would come in the fourth quarter was 62-48. Harris had 15 points and Darrion Blackburn 13 for the Pioneers, whose entire team returns next season.
Next for Floyd is the intimidating Proviso East trio of 6-7 Sherell Ford, 6-6 Michael Finley and 6-5 Donny Boyce.
”They don`t have anything on me,” Floyd said with a glare. ”I`ll look them right in the eye and say, `Hey, I`m here to play ball.` ”
