Boys Basketball: H-F Has No Trouble Getting Past Marian Catholic

The Hot Read: Homewood-Flossmoor demonstrated why it is one of the top teams in the state in its 66-34 boys basketball victory over Marian Catholic in a semifinal game at the Class 4A Plainfield Central Regional on Wednesday. The Vikings scored the final nine points of the first quarter and then outscored Marian 14-3 in the second quarter to grab a 29-9 halftime lead. H-F stretched its advantage to 46-19 after three quarters and rested its starters for most of the fourth quarter. H-F avenged a sectional loss to Marian Catholic two seasons ago in which three of its current players were on the team.

Patch’s MVP: H-F junior Tim Williams scored seven of his game-high 16 points in the first quarter to help set the tone. The 6-foot-7 forward added six rebounds and a blocked shot.

Key Stats: Homewood-Flossmoor was on fire from three-point territory, while Marian Catholic was cold. The Vikings connected on 9-of-16 three-point attempts (56 percent) through the first three quarters, while the Spartans made just 1-of-11 shots from long distance.

H-F Leaders: Tim Williams (16 points, 6 rebounds, 1 block), Julian Lewis (10 points, 6 rebounds), Willie Lipsey (10 points, 2 rebounds), Mike Rouse (7 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal), Tyrone Sherman (7 points, 2 rebounds), David Fatoki (6 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal).

Marian Catholic Leaders: Brian Gates (10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block), John Rhode (8 points, 3 rebounds), Tyler Ulis (9 points).

Quotable I: H-F coach Jim McLaughlin on the victory: “We’ve been really talking about what it takes to concentrate and prepare for a basketball game. It’s something that once you get to the playoffs, the second season, you need to be focused and know what your role is. When the ball comes your way, you have to be ready. I think we were focused. We remember when Marian knocked us out of the sectional, so it was a nice reminder. It motivated them a little bit and gave us a little extra kick to come out and play hard.”

Quotable II: Marian Catholic coach Mike Taylor: “They packed the zone in and we really didn’t have an answer inside. We had some shots, but couldn’t really do anything. We just never really found a rhythm. Playing catch-up against them is virtually impossible. This is as good as I’ve seen them play in the last month. They’re on the right path.”

Quotable III: Taylor on the season: “It was an up-and-down season. We played well at the end of the year. We expected to play well tonight, but we’ve had trouble all year long trying to get five guys to play well on the same night. We have some young kids. We have a freshman (Tyler Ulis) and some juniors that got a lot of minutes this year and that’s what we’re looking to build on.”

Team records: H-F improves to 22-5, while Marian Catholic ends the season with a 13-17 record.

What’s next: H-F will now attempt to win its eighth consecutive regional championship when it takes on No. 7 Plainfield Central at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Plainfield Central Regional final. The Wildcats defeated Thornwood 64-63 in overtime.