Lincoln-Way Central overpowers West

Updated: May 24, 2011 9:12PM

Lincoln-Way Central is one step closer to making it six straight regional championships after knocking off Lincoln-Way West 25-19, 25-18 in the Marist Regional semifinals Tuesday.

The next step is against a team Central (22-14) is all too familiar with. The No. 7-seed Knights will face No. 2-seed Marist today in the regional championship in a rematch of the last two seasons’ sectional semifinals, both of which the RedHawks won.

“It’s the team we want to play,” Central middle hitter Alex Severson (6 kills, 10 blocks) said. “There’s a lot of unfinished business there.

“It’s why we play the game.”

First, Central had to get by ninth-seeded West.

After leading 16-13 in Game 1, the Knights allowed West to tie things up. Worst of all for Central, the point that made it 16-all was a ball that fell in the middle of the entire Knights team with no player reacting to it.

“We came out a little slow in the first game,” Severson said. “But once we realized we just needed to play our game, we were locked in.”

A sideout by West, a kill by Austin Overby and two kills by Jake Marotta (7 kills) later and Central was up 21-17. West would make it 21-19, but the Knights put things away with a 4-0 run behind a block and two kills by Severson.

“Our defense was big,” Marotta said. “All our blocking was huge.”

It certainly helps a team’s defense when a player on it has beaten the school record for solo blocks by 29 and combo blocks by 61. Severson is that player, and he saved half of his 10 blocks for Game 2.

In Game 2, Central trailed 4-3 before Sean Blackwood (6 kills) rattled off three straight kills to give the Knights a lead they’d never relinquish. West drew to within 22-18, but after a sideout by West, Severson and Brad Foster sent down two combo blocks to close it out.

Next up is Marist.

“Well, there aren’t any secrets, considering I coached (Marist coach) Bob St. Leger in high school,” Central coach Joann Holverson said. “They took it to us last year and we’re hoping to take regionals from them this year.”

West (22-14) was led by Dave O’Brien (5 kills) and Dominic Prospero (8 assists).

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