There was no doubt sophomore forward John Brown IV would to play in Friday night’s game for Homewood-Flossmoor.
The 6-foot-6 Brown twisted his left knee late in Wednesday’s regional semifinal and was given Thursday off to get back into good working order.
“Ice and rest — that was it,” he said. “I knew I was going to be back for this game.”
Brown caused some pain in the second half for Lincoln-Way East, finishing with 11 points and eight rebounds as the Vikings prevailed 54-46 in the Class 4A Sandburg Regional championship game in Orland Park.
To wit, Brown scored the first five points in the fourth to help H-F (28-3) pull away from a 43-41 lead after three quarters. He had nine points and seven rebounds in the second half.
Jayden McDonald led the Vikings with 18 points but sat out most of the fourth with cramping in his leg. Darrius Hawkins Jr. also made seven free throws, including four in the closing minutes.
But John Brown IV? He was big.
“He was feeling better before the game,” H-F coach Brandin Brown said. “He’s a tough kid. He might look frail, but he’s tough.”
KaiJay Brown was tough as well, pacing Lincoln-Way East (17-14) with 13 points. Wes Shelby and Jonathan Aluyi scored 10 points apiece. Aluyi added 13 rebounds and four blocked shots.
With cramps slowing down McDonald, John Brown IV stepped up by scoring and rebounding.
“I started out slow because of the injury,” he said. “But I needed to be aggressive to help the team.”
“I told him at halftime, ‘Hey, this is an opportunity to make a name for yourself,’’’ Brandin Brown said. “I thought he did a great job with doing that.”
Top-seeded H-F, which has won three straight regionals, advanced to a 7 p.m. Tuesday semifinal in the Joliet West Sectional against fourth-seeded Brother Rice (23-10), which won 50-40 over host Lincoln-Way Central in another regional final.
And there’s more. Aside from some of the usual players the Vikings put on the court, there’s a new problem for opponents to tackle in the postseason.
Senior guard Myles Ellis, a football and track star heading to North Dakota State on a football scholarship, has been practicing with the Vikings throughout the season but finally got to play in the regional after Ethan Jackson suffered a season-ending injury.
Ellis, who played 15 minutes running the show Friday night, ended up with three points, two rebounds and a steal.
“I practiced with them throughout the year and never left their side,” Ellis said of the Vikings. “I just needed to step up and participate with them. That’s what I was able to do.”
Ellis was on the roster two seasons ago when the Vikings won the Class 4A state championship and also last season despite nursing a foot injury.
Brandin Brown is glad to have Ellis for his ability and leadership.
“Between what he was doing for football and track, we didn’t know he was going to an opportunity to play this year,” Brown said of Ellis. “Myles Ellis is one of a kind.
“There are not many kids who can not play basketball every day and come into a regional and provide everything he could for us. We’re extremely grateful to have him.”
And H-F’s head coach was grateful to see Brown enjoy a strong performance, too. Not only is he an inside threat, he’s able to pop in 3-pointers on occasion.
“The sky is the limit for him,” Brandin said of John. “Because he’s so young and hasn’t played a whole lot of basketball, he finds a way every game to continue to unlock the potential he has.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
