Maroons rule battle of Elgin

Armani Williams (20) became Elgin's No. 2 all-time scorer during Wednesday's win over Larkin.

(Marina Makropoulos/Courier News)

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If Wednesday was Armani Williams' last game against Larkin, the senior made quite a final impression against his rival.

Already known as one of the most prolific scorers this city has seen, Williams further entrenched his place in Elgin lore by scoring a game-high 27 points to lead the Maroons in a 65-37 nonconference rout of the host Royals.

With his silky smooth shooting stroke producing results from the start, Williams added on to his school record for career three-pointers made, draining seven shots from beyond the arc.

He also climbed to No. 2 on Elgin High's all-time scoring list, passing former Maroons standout Mark Baugh on a basket with 3:26 left in the second quarter.

With 1,548 career points, Williams is second only to Sean Harrington's school record 2,119 points.

"I'm happy about what I've done, but I'm way happier about what my team did," Williams said. "They really played strong."

In a matchup featuring one of the most talented Elgin teams in recent years and a Larkin squad struggling like few that have come before, Wednesday's game unfolded more or less as expected.

The Maroons scored the game's first 12 points and enjoyed a double-digit lead for the final 24:38. They led 33-11 at halftime and 46-19 going into the fourth quarter while capturing their third straight blowout win and seventh victory in eight games.

The triumph also gives Elgin (13-8) its second straight regular-season sweep of Larkin. The Maroons have won five straight against the Royals and own a 70-39 lead in the all-time series.

The teams could meet again in next month's Larkin Class 4A Regional.

"This is the third game in a row where we've made teams take a couple timeouts in the first quarter, and that's really our goal," Elgin coach Mike Sitter said. "We want them to come out and chase us and make them play our game. It really takes the wind out of a team's sails, especially when you're playing on the road. When we walk into Larkin, it helps to get a big lead right away."

Williams keyed the fast start, tallying 18 points in the first half as the Maroons built a 29-7 lead midway through the second quarter.

He's now topped the 25-point mark in three straight games and has 21 triples in that span, giving him 299 three-pointers for his career.

"He's shooting it better than ever," Sitter said. "He's working hard before and after practice, and it's really showing in the games."

While Williams and the Maroons continued their surge, the woes continued for Larkin (1-18).

The Royals struggled offensively all night, failing to top the 40-point mark for the fifth time this season. They made only four of 23 shots in the first half before finishing 13-of-52 (25 percent) from the field.

Larkin additionally committed 18 turnovers and knocked down only one of 13 shots from three-point range.

"We were hoping to match their intensity and keep the score close, but it just didn't happen," Larkin assistant coach Doug Holtz said. "Things got away from us. We tried a lot of different things, obviously not to too much success. That's about all you can say."

Nick Bee and Tyler Compere scored six points apiece to lead Larkin. Cam Kinley added five points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the Royals, who were unable to keep things close like this season's previous meeting with Elgin at Chesbrough Field House.

"They've definitely gotten better from the last time we played them," Larkin junior Jeff Saurbaugh said. "They're pretty hot right now. I give them a lot of credit because they're really good."

Like Larkin, Elgin also struggled from the floor, connecting on only 24 of 70 (34.3 percent) of its shots. However, the Maroons did enjoy a 45-36 rebounding advantage.

D'Angelo Stewart joined Williams in double figures with 10 points and eight rebounds. Jeremy Granger added eight points and seven rebounds for the Maroons, who take on the top three teams in the Upstate Eight standings in their next three games.

"Beating (Larkin) on their home court feels good," Stewart said. "This is going to be a big momentum push for us going up against the top three teams in the Upstate Eight."

Larkin coach Larry Hight was unavailable for comment after the game.