Here are 3 takeaways from Sacred Heart-Griffin's sectional title win at Decatur MacArthur
DECATUR — Decatur MacArthur certainly spelled trouble.
Sacred Heart-Griffin had won the previous two meetings during the regular season but the third often tends to be the toughest of all — especially against a state-ranked foe like the Generals on their home court in the postseason no less.
The Cyclones, though, quickly dispelled any cause for concern.
The Class 3A defending state champions never trailed and spurned the host Generals yet again 75-62 for the program’s third straight sectional title on Friday.
SHG (31-3) returns to the Bank of Springfield Center on Monday at 7:30 p.m. for another supersectional showdown against East St. Louis. The Cyclones won last year’s supersectional 60-50 over East St. Louis before going the distance.
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The Flyers (24-8) booked their ticket back to Springfield following a 53-38 win over Troy Triad in the Centralia Sectional.
“You could tell by the way that we played that we wanted to play another game at the BOS Center,” SHG senior guard/forward Will Hamilton said.
Hawkinson, Hamilton dominate the boards
Hamilton and senior guard/forward Zack Hawkinson combined for 28 rebounds.
Each had five critical offensive boards.
A Hamilton offensive rebound early in the first quarter led to J’veon Bardwell’s 3-pointer for a 7-2 lead. SHG continued to feast on those second-chance opportunities throughout the game.
Hamilton hauled in another offensive board and an assist to his twin brother, Jake, for a 29-22 lead in the second period.
SHG led 35-25 at halftime. That margin extended to 50-37 by the end of the third quarter.
“There’s really no words for his effort,” Hawkinson said of Will. “We don’t win that game without Will. Will was the X-factor in that game. If he didn’t get the rebound, he was tipping it out to somebody else. He was on the floor, he was diving, he was making the right pass and he was knocking down layups.
“That’s what we’re going to need to win a state championship. I’m so glad Will was the guy to step up today.”
Will also took two charges in the first quarter. He finished with nine points and eight rebounds.
“I’m more like a defensive player, so I’m usually taking the charges and getting some turnovers,” Will said. “It works for us.”
Hawkinson registered a double-double by intermission and a total team-high of 25 points and 20 rebounds.
“Coach (Tim) Allen said 100% effort,” Hawkinson said. “He wrote it on the board and told us 100% effort. That’s all you can think about: 100% effort. This is our last year. We don’t want to leave any regrets or any feelings on the court. We’re going to go out and play 100% every single time.”
Will and Hawkinson doubtlessly excelled at boxing out.
“We’ve played them so many times that we know almost all of their points come from second-chance points, so we made sure that we were going to get the rebounds and get it out quick,” Will said.
Bardwell, SHG burn MacArthur in transition
SHG senior guard J’veon Bardwell tallied a career-high 20 points.
He seemingly just kept finding ways to reach the hoop in SHG’s frantic uptempo pace.
“(We) backdoored them a lot,” Bardwell said. “I saw opportunities and took them. My teammates passed them to me when I was open and that’s just how it went tonight. I just let it come to me.”
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Jake Hamilton, who leads the team with 18.9 points per game this season, chipped in just four points and fouled out early in the fourth in what was a definite aberration for the star senior guard committed to NCAA Division II Quincy University.
No matter.
Senior guard KeShon Singleton hit two 3s in the first half and contributed 10 points while sophomore guard Jamarion Bardwell had seven.
“We can fire from all cylinders,” J’veon said. “We have people coming off the bench. These guys, I love them. I wouldn’t want to go out with anybody else.”
MacArthur (29-5) couldn’t keep up.
“We want to go up and down,” SHG coach Tim Allen said. “We want to move it and that’s what we were able to do.”
Another strong season from the Generals
Senior guard Chase Cunningham carried the Generals with a game-high 26 points and seven rebounds. He shot 8 of 14 from the field and 8 of 10 from the free-throw effort in a gutsy outing.
Senior teammate Makhi Wright followed with 11 points and nine rebounds.
“Chase is a guy who knows how to get downhill and he’s strong,” MacArthur coach Terise Bryson said. “Chase has a good career ahead of him. He has been a leader all year on the team.”
MacArthur, which was seeking its first-ever sectional crown, recorded its most wins in a season for a second straight year and ended the regular season ranked No. 6 in the 3A poll by The Associated Press. SHG was No. 3.
Bryson said his team exceeded outside expectations and persevered through adversity.
“It’s just a tough team,” Bryson said of SHG. “They’re not the state champs for nothing. Tim (Allen) does a good job with those guys. They were prepared. They were ready for the moment.”
Contact Bill Welt: 788-1545, bill.welt@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/BillWelt
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: IHSA boys basketball: Sacred Heart-Griffin advances to supersectionals
