Saturday I made the two hour drive out to Highland Community College in Freeport for the Division I Regionals. Triton, Highland, Kankakee, and Sauk Valley were the top 4 seeds in the regional just like last season.
Last season the highest seed hosted all the regional playoff games, but this year they were back at Highland where the regionals had been held every year.
Here is a recap:
Triton 87 Sauk Valley 80: Trojans Survive and Avoid Upset; Barnes with Huge Second Half Off the Bench
These two teams met in the semis last season, which saw Triton winning 76-63 en route to a final four appearance in the national tournament. It had appeared that the Trojans would have this game in the bag as they took a 10-point lead into halftime. However, the Skyhawks got some key contributions off the bench from Devares Whitaker (14 points), and 6-8 Devon House (25 points, 5 rebounds). Jake Gaither put the Skyhawks ahead briefly, but Devon Barnes put the Trojans back in the lead with back-to-back threes. The Trojans would never trail again. Barnes finished with 23 points, and was 6/11 from three off the bench for the Trojans. Brandon Muntu had 16 points, and Kimahri Wilson and Ethan Pickett had 13 points each.
Highland 61 Kankakee 60: Hosts Complete Comeback; Curie Grad Ramean Hinton with Game Winner
Ramean Hinton... what more can you say? The 6-4 guard had a knack for coming up clutch in big games when he was with Curie, and he has continued that this season for the Cougars. Kankakee led 40-29 at halftime, but the Cougars, led by Hinton, stormed back and tied the game at 57. In the final minutes, Cougars guard Markwan Adams hit 1 of 2 free throws, then Cavaliers point guard Sean Black (14 points, 8 assists) hit a three to put the Cavaliers back on top. Then Ramean Hinton hit a three with just over a minute left, and the Cougars were able to eventually drain out the clock. Hinton led the Cougars with 25 points and 17 rebounds, and he was 4/7 from three. Johnny Melvin had 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Danville graduate Rob Stroud led the Cavaliers with 20 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Isaiah Placide had 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals for the Cavaliers.
Comentários