The lights had dimmed at Elgin’s Chesbrough Fieldhouse, the floor illuminated only by the overhead scoreboard. Still, Sean Harrington didn’t want to leave.
The Elgin senior had first walked into the building almost 14 years ago when his father, Jim, became the basketball coach. Friday’s 65-33 victory over Hersey in a Class AA regional final would be his last game on the floor, and he gave another superb effort. He led the Maroons with 24 points and finished his career with 2,069.
“Today was going to come and it’s finally here,” the younger Harrington said. “As long as we keep winning, I’m going to enjoy it.”
The Maroons won their fifth straight regional title and will meet Barrington in the Prospect sectional Wednesday. Elgin is 19-9, while Hersey ended its season 19-9.
A crowd of 3,000 was expected, but Friday afternoon’s snowfall cut the attendance by more than half. Those who did show up were almost all from Elgin, and were rewarded with a 34-18 Maroon lead at halftime.
Elgin started quickly, taking a 9-1 lead in the first three minutes. Sean Harrington didn’t get his first field goal until 1:56 was left in the quarter, but the Maroons were in command by then.
“In the first half we were down by eight, and we were trying to make eight-point plays,” Hersey coach Don Rowley said. “We weren’t very patient.”
A twenty minute delay–Hersey’s trip through the snowstorm lasted an hour and forty minutes–of the tipoff might have been a big help for Elgin. The Maroons used the time in the school’s wrestling room to go over defensive sets to be used against the Huskies. It helped. Hersey, led by John Camardella 9 points, never found its rhythm.
Marcus Smallwood added 15 points and Marcus Howard 14 for Elgin.
