Class 4A regional final at East Aurora
Records: Plainfield North 26-4, East Aurora 20-8
Halftime: Plainfield North 35-23.
Summary: Plainfield North led wire-to-wire but had to withstand a fourth-quarter rally from their hosts to claim the school’s first regional crown. The Tigers’ advantage got as high as 13 points with 3 minutes left in the third on a basket by Chris McMath, but the Tomcats closed the quarter on a 10-2 run, cutting Plainfield North’s lead to 41-36. Two free throws by sophomore Ryan Boatright drew East Aurora within 47-46 with 2:34 left, but the Tigers answered with five straight points to go up 52-46 with a minute to go. With his team ahead 54-51 with :05.7 left, Plainfield guard Reggie Lemon missed the front end of a one-and-one, but all East Aurora could muster was a last-ditch three-point try from beyond midcourt at the buzzer. The Tomcats’ full-court pressure forced Plainfield North into 19 turnovers. The Tigers offset that by holding a 37-19 rebounding edge.
Top performers: Plainfield North ? Ryan Crow 15 points, Kendall Frank 14 points 8 rebounds, Chris McMath 14 points. East Aurora ? Tramell Weathersby 23 points, Ryan Boatright 17 points, 8 steals.
The bonus: “We knew we had the game–we just had to stay composed,” Frank said. “They had a big crowd and they were into it. But we just tried to keep controlling the tempo and playing our game.”
