Elgin High had the look of a team gearing up for a postseason run.
Larkin had the look of a team ready to put an end to a wretched season.
Larkin had the look of a team ready to put an end to a wretched season.
That contrast was clear from start to finish Monday as the third-seeded Maroons manhandled the sixth-seeded Royals 74-43 in the Class 4A Larkin Regional quarterfinals.
Elgin's main objective was to start fast and bury its rival early, and the Maroons accomplished that goal with ease.
After Royals junior Terell John scored the game's first basket, Elgin scored 21 unanswered points to take a 21-2 lead with 1:39 left in the first quarter. The Royals came no closer than 13 points the rest of the night.
The victory marked Elgin's third convincing win against Larkin this season and sixth in a row against the Royals. The Maroons now own a 71-39 lead in the all-time series.
More importantly, the landslide win means Elgin (17-9) will take a four-game win streak into its regional semifinal showdown with No. 2 St. Charles East on Wednesday. The Saints beat the Maroons 85-77 last month.
"We just wanted to come in and put [Larkin] down early and keep them down," Elgin senior Jeremy Granger said. "That's what we did. We didn't let them in the game, and they had no chance at winning."
Added Elgin senior D'Angelo Stewart: "I don't want to sound cocky or anything, but we just wanted to get past [Larkin] and move on to the next round."
For Larkin, the outcome was just another in a series of lopsided losses that defined one of the most trying seasons in program history.
The Royals finished the campaign with a 1-25 record and lost their final 12 games of the season under first-year coach Larry Hight.
As was the case the entire season, Larkin simply couldn't find an offensive rhythm, finishing the night 16 of 57 (28 percent) from the field.
"All I can say is it's been a rough year," Hight said. "But I'm ready to go right back at it, even after a year like this year. I hope I conveyed that to my kids. It takes work to get better, and we've got a lot of work to do."
Granger led Elgin's early onslaught, scoring nine of his game-high 20 points in the first quarter. He also added eight rebounds.
Stewart finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Armani Williams tallied 14 points for the Maroons, who enjoyed a commanding 47-26 rebounding advantage.
Larry Berry's basket with 1:17 left in the third quarter gave Elgin its largest lead of the game at 61-26. The Maroons played much of the fourth quarter with five reserves on the floor.
"It's never easy to beat a team three times," Elgin coach Mike Sitter said. "I was glad to see us get off to a good start and jump on [Larkin] early. That was our No. 1 goal."
Elgin senior Kenny Williams missed his second straight game for disciplinary reasons, but could return for Wednesday's game. Maroons junior Marcus Redburg did not play after sustaining a right knee injury last Friday, but was in uniform and warmed up with the team.
The Royals were led in scoring by a pair of juniors as John finished with 11 points and seven rebounds and Brandon Cooks added eight points off the bench.
After the game, John was already looking ahead to next year.
"We've got to take everything in stride and get ready," John said. "We need to make it a learning experience and try not to let it happen again."
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