Sherron Collins didn’t have to be reminded that Crane hadn’t been to the Elite Eight since 1972.
“We talked about it, Coach [Anthony Longstreet] talked about it and we stressed it,” the Cougars’ junior said.
No more talk is needed for Collins and his teammates. Crane’s 33-year drought is over, thanks to a 58-40 Class AA supersectional victory over New Trier on Monday night at the United Center.
Collins, considered one of the top two juniors in the state–the other is Glenbrook North’s Jon Scheyer–spoke of all the “great players who had come through Crane and not gotten a chance to go Downstate.” He made sure the Cougars (23-6) would not fail this season, coming up with 24 points, four steals and three rebounds. Crane will meet the winner of Tuesday’s supersectional matchup between Carbondale and Alton in Friday’s first quarterfinal at Carver Arena in Peoria.
With his team trailing 42-34 and 3 1/2 minutes left, New Trier’s Duncan McLean thought the Trevians still had a chance. But Collins wasn’t going to give them one. The 5-foot-10-inch point guard dropped a three-pointer with 3:06 left, and 25 seconds later hit another one for a 48-36 lead. Two dunks by Darrius Walton put an exclamation point on the Cougars’ victory.
“At the end, Sherron wasn’t getting by us so much–he was hitting shots over us,” McLean said. “This team was definitely one of the quickest teams we’ve faced.”
New Trier was trying to make some history of its own. The last Class AA team that entered the playoffs with a sub-.500 record and reached the Elite Eight was Danville in 1978. The Trevians ended the regular season 12-14 and were on a four-game tournament run.
But after drawing within 21-20 with 5:30 left in the third quarter, New Trier (16-15) let Crane go on a 15-2 run.
Tyrone Kent added 10 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Walton had six points, six rebounds for Crane. Ben Kaplan’s 11 points and Chase Shamlin’s 10 led New Trier.
