Boys basketball: Sycamore defense clamps down in second half to knock off Elgin

SYCAMORE – Maddox Hollian had 18 points at halftime for Elgin, helping the Maroons chip a Sycamore lead that had grown to seven back down to one.

But the Spartans defense clamped down in the third quarter, held Hollian to a single layup at the buzzer and pulled away from a 68-55 win on Saturday.

“We were just getting in the gaps and stopping them,” Sycamore guard Jakob Shipley said. “[Hollian] was having a good first half, and we just really contained him in the second half.”

Santiago Ortiz banked in a 3-pointer to end the first half, drawing the Maroons (5-16) to within 33-32 after Sycamore (10-11) led 32-25 with 1:29 left in the half.

But with five different players scoring, the Spartans put in the first 11 points of the second half to open up a 44-32 lead. Even though it took Elgin almost seven minutes to score in the third quarter, the Maroons did pull to within 50-46 with 5:08 left, but Sycamore scored eight of the next 10 points to put the game away.

Sycamore coach Ethan Franklin said the Spartans had a tough loss Friday night at Ottawa and was glad to see his team weather multiple runs by the Maroons.

“It was a great test for us if we want to be putting ourselves in a position to win a regional,” Franklin said. “We have to be able to go through the peaks and valleys of games like that. I thought they did a good job of responding and putting themselves in a good position.”

Hollian bounced back in the fourth and finished with 31 points, Ortiz had eight, and Angel Nunez had seven. They were the only Maroons to hit more than one field goal.

Elgin interim head coach Kurt Kerrigan, in his third game since taking over, said his team was missing three players, and that led to some late fatigue, including Hollian - who has averaged 23 points per game this year.

Hollian also had a team-best six rebounds and five steals for Elgin.

“He’s our stud, our workhorse, the type of kid that every coach wants on his team,” Kerrigan said. “He forced it in the second half, but I think those were tired shots. He’s a phenomenal driver to the hoop and finisher. He can shoot the 3, and when his mind is right, he will hit. This was a game where they were blitzing him, taking care of him, and he just got winded in the third and fourth quarter.”

The Sycamore scoring attack was much more balanced. Ben Larry led the way with 15 points and six rebounds and did a lot of damage from the free-throw line, going 6 for 9 from the charity stripe.

Isaiah Feuerbach had 11 points, while Shipley had 10, going 7 for 10 from the line.

Sycamore only trailed once in the game when a 3-pointer Victor Reynoso capped an 8-0 Elgin run, putting the Maroons ahead 15-13 early in the second quarter. But Diego Garcia answered right back with a layup to tie, and Feuerbach hit a couple of free throws. Hollian tied it back up at 17 with a layup, but Sycamore scored the next five, including a 3-pointer by Feuerbach, and led the rest of the way.

“We had to remind them of what the initial game plan was [in terms of slowing down Hollian] a little bit at halftime,” Franklin said. “They did a good job of adjusting, making sure our guys were in the gaps, and making it very tough for [Hollian] to get some of the finishes he was getting. I thought it was too easy of looks he was getting originally, so we did a good job of walling up and forcing him to make some tough plays and force some other guys to try and beat us.”