For a team that can’t shoot straight, Thornridge has only one recourse: Play the best defense of its life.
That’s exactly how the 19th-ranked Falcons escaped with a 42-39 upset of eighth-ranked Bloom on Wednesday at the Class AA Bloom sectional.
Thornridge (22-7) will face district rival and seventh-ranked Thornton (22-5) in Friday night’s title game.
It wasn’t a pretty sight in Chicago Heights. Thornridge only made 35 percent of its shots and just 44 percent of its free throws. Thornridge center Josh Drumgole converted 1 of 9 foul shots.
“It’s unfortunate to say, but that’s not unusual for us,” Thornridge coach Mike Flaherty said about the inaccuracy. “Tonight, we weren’t anywhere near the rim. If we’re going to win, it’s got to be on defense.”
The defensive play of the night came with 1 minute 25 seconds left in the game and Thornridge clinging to a 39-37 lead.
Bloom’s Beunie Green (11 points) stole the ball and was driving for a layup when Thornridge’s 6-foot-6-inch James Moore blocked his shot from behind.
“(Green) was taking it easy going to the basket, and that let me catch up to him,” Moore said. “He put it up nice and easy, and that made it easy for me to block. I knew it was a clean block.”
Edward Gipson (13 points, three steals) hit a free throw to make it 40-37, and 6-7 C.C. Malone (13 points) scored inside with :22 left.
Thornridge’s Armond Nelson (14 points) missed a one-and-one attempt with :20 to go, but Malone’s 6-footer at the other end fell short. Josh Drumgole and Nelson each hit a foul shot, and Aaron Austin’s desperation three-point attempt just inside halfcourt missed off the back rim.
“We came out flat and made too many mistakes,” Malone said about Bloom’s 19 turnovers. “We didn’t crash the boards and didn’t play with much intensity.
“Everybody expected us to be real good this year. To lose here, at home, it really hurts. This was a team we know we can beat.”
That’s because SICA East champion Bloom swept Thornridge during the conference season.
“We knew we had to stop C.C. inside and also prevent Beunie from penetrating against our defense and dishing off to their big guys (Malone and 6-4 Philip Alexander),” Nelson said. “Even when our shooting is off, we always know we can win games with our defense.”
Bob Sakamoto.
Bolingbrook: Pat Cunningham scored 12 of his 25 points on three-pointers as Downers Grove North (22-6) outlasted Brother Rice 71-66. Drew Carstens added 21 points and Joe Riner had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Downers North. Vincent Greene led all scorers with 26 points, and J.J. Konstant added 19–15 on three-pointers–for Brother Rice (21-7).
Downers North took control in the fourth quarter, going on a 12-2 run to go up 45-44 with 7:20 left in the game. Carstens sealed the victory with four free throws down the stretch. Downers North was 12 of 14 from the foul line in the final minute.
Downers North and Richards will meet in Saturday’s championship game.
East Aurora: Glenbard South jumped out to a 22-11 lead after the first quarter and held on for a 53-44 victory and its first appearance in a sectional final. Arian Rios led the Raiders (24-4) with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Phil Torres led Naperville North (21-6) with 19.
“I don’t think it’s an upset,” Glenbard South coach Dave Lohrke said. “I think this is a darn good team and everybody should acknowledge that.”
The Raiders will face East Aurora in Friday’s final.
Lincoln-Way: The host Knights held Providence to four points or less in three quarters in a 39-24 victory before a crowd of 1,700. Providence (16-12) made just 9-of-40 field-goal attempts; Lincoln-Way (21-7) connected on 16 of 36. Darren Enselman’s 11 points sparked Lincoln-Way, which had a 24-13 rebounding edge. Vincent Martin led Providence with eight points.
“Defense has been the big thing that has kept us going all year long,” Lincoln-Way coach Steve Little said. “We did not give up many extra shots, and limiting them to one shot per possession was a big key.”
Lincoln-Way will play Hillcrest for the sectional championship Friday.
Morton: Perry Smith scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and Steven Hunter added 12 points to lead No. 10 Proviso East to a 52-42 victory over Fenwick and into Friday’s title game against St. Joseph.
Fenwick (10-16) played the Pirates (19-9) even for most of the game. The game was tied at 23-23 when Proviso pulled away with a 9-0 run.
“(Smith) was the glue tonight,” Proviso coach Andrew Johnson said. “He stepped up and had a great game offensively and defensively.”
Niles West: Hodges Smith hit five three-pointers and scored 23 points to lead Gordon Tech (22-7) to a 63-50 victory over Evanston.
Evanston (20-7) scored the game’s first seven points and led 11-7 after the first quarter, but Gordon outscored the Wildkits 22-8 in the third quarter to take control.
“Hodges has had a sensational year for us and he was huge tonight,” Gordon coach Rich Kolimas said.
Prospect: Sean Harrington scored 21 points and Marcus Smallwood added 16 to lead Elgin (20-9) to a 57-50 victory over Barrington. Ryan Indovina led Barrington (20-9) with 18 points. Elgin will face Schaumburg in Friday’s final.
Waukegan: Mundelein (22-7) used a fourth-quarter rally to knock off Zion-Benton 57-50. Brett Serva scored 13 in the fourth as Mundelein outscored Zion-Benton 28-13.
“Sometimes all it takes is one guy to step up and get things going and Brett gave that to us tonight,” Mundelein coach Terry Wilhelm said.
Doug Rippberger added 13 for Mundelein, which will play Warren on Friday. Darnell Fields, who fouled out with 4:49 left, led Zion-Benton (25-5) with 12 points.
