Whether it was down on the blocks or out at the free-throw line, Hoffman Estates couldn’t come up with an answer for 6-foot-9-inch Shaun Pruitt.
The future Illinois big man was the big difference in West Aurora’s hard-earned 47-42 victory over Hoffman Estates in Friday’s last Class AA quarterfinal at Carver Arena.
West Aurora (31-1), the Chicago area’s top-ranked team, will oppose No. 2 Homewood-Flossmoor (30-2) in the 12:45 p.m. semifinal Saturday.
“It feels good to play [H-F],” Pruitt said of his impending matchup with the Vikings’ front line of 6-8 Cyrus Tate, 6-8 Julian Wright and 6-7 Brian Nussbaum. “That’s what you come down here for, to compete against the best.”
Pruitt finished with 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor and 7-of-8 from the line. In a tight fourth quarter in which neither team led by more than five points, Pruitt hit six straight free throws.
“I felt like they couldn’t stop me–I felt like that in the second half,” he said. “I thought about trying to take over the game in the fourth quarter.”
Behind the shooting of 6-4 Branden Jung (12 points)–who guarded Pruitt–plus Jonny Reibel (13) and Bryan Mead (11), Hoffman Estates (30-3) overcame a five-point second-quarter deficit to pull ahead 30-24 late in the third.
But that’s when a Pruitt basket down low sent the Blackhawks on a 12-3 run that lifted his team to a 36-33 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Two foul shots by Pruitt and one by Jaeh Thomas in the final 46 seconds held off the Hawks.
“The kids are deeply disappointed, not because of their effort, but because of the hand fate dealt them,” Hoffman Estates coach Bill Wandro said.
West Aurora coach Gordon Kerkman and Pruitt were effusive in their praise of the gritty, defensive-minded Hawks.
“They are a great team, and I knew it would be a dogfight,” Pruitt said. “They play fundamental basketball, pass the ball around well on offense, are good shooters and play defense like we do.”
West Aurora turnovers and missed shots gave Hoffman Estates an opportunity to stick around in the first half. The Hawks trailed just 18-12 at halftime despite making just 4 of 18 shots.
But in the end, Pruitt was simply too much.
