Boys Basketball: Larkin rallies to top Guilford

Updated: December 20, 2011 8:42PM

Larkin took breaking out of a slump to a whole new level Tuesday.

Mired in a three-game losing streak, the Royals committed eight turnovers on their first nine possessions and trailed Rockford Guilford by 18 points less than four minutes into their second-round contest at the Elgin Holiday Tournament.

Perhaps the only positive aspect of the atrocious start was it left plenty of time to turn things around, and Larkin did just that by roaring back for an 82-77 victory.

Sophomore guard Derrick Streety led the comeback with a career-high 28 points after being held scoreless the night before. Junior guard Quentin Ruff added a career-high 22 points and junior guard Quantice Hunter chipped in with 18 points.

“This is definitely a big win,” Streety said. “I felt like I needed to get going for my teammates. I needed to attack the rim.”

The Royals trailed 20-2 just 3:49 into the game and looked helpless against the Vikings’ trapping defense while committing 11 turnovers in the first quarter. Larkin (7-3) still faced a 16-point deficit late in the second quarter, but scored eight unanswered points in the final 39 seconds of the half to pull within 44-36.

The momentum remained with the Royals in the third quarter, and Hunter’s basket at the 2:52 mark put Larkin ahead for the first time, 55-53. Improved ballhandling and better defense were keys for the Royals, who took the lead for good with a 7-0 run to close the third.

“Most of those turnovers for us happen when we’re not being aggressive,” Ruff said. “In the second quarter coached talked to us and we started getting aggressive with the ball, and that’s what made it easier to break the press.”

Guilford (4-8) had five players score in double figures but made only 14-of-30 free throws. Kortez Mcbridge led the way for the Vikings with 16 points and Marcus Hardison added 15 points, eight steals and five rebounds.

Larkin finished with 26 turnovers but knocked down 28-of-55 (50.9 percent) of its shots from the field. The Royals move on to play Romeoville at 2:15 p.m. today.

“We didn’t come ready to play for whatever reason,” Larkin coach Deryn Carter said. “(Rockford Guilford) came out and surprised us with that trap, but we trust our team and we knew if we took care of the ball better we’d be able to do some things.

“We’re still trying to find our way. It wasn’t long ago we were winning only four games (in a season). We’re still a long way from where we need to be, and every step is a learning process.”

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