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Boys Basketball: Elgin edges out Neuqua Valley, headed for title shot
Updated: December 22, 2011 10:37PM
Elgin crossed one big hurdle Wednesday night, but a huge challenge still awaits.
Kory Brown’s all-around contributions proved critical as the Maroons held off nemesis Neuqua Valley for a 52-48 victory in the semifinals of the 37th annual Elgin Holiday Tournament at Chesbrough Field House.
Brown finished with 16 points, nine rebounds, five blocks and three assists as Elgin (11-1) won its seventh in a row and avenged last year’s three-point loss to the Wildcats in the tournament championship game.
The Maroons are one win away from capturing their own tournament title for the first time since 1999, but the home team will be heavy underdogs against La Lumiere in the final at 8:15 tonight. The La Porte, Ind., school ranks as one of the top programs in the country and has won every tournament game this week by at least 22 points.
“Everyone thinks it’s 100, maybe 1,000-to-one that we’ll win,” Brown said of going up against La Lumiere.
“But we’ve got our heads high and we’re coming into the game thinking we’re going to get a ‘W.’ We’re ready for it.”
Neuqua Valley (7-6) held the upper hand for much of the night against Elgin, but the Maroons used an 8-0 run early in the fourth quarter to take the lead for good, 45-41. Brown had four points and an assist during the run.
Arie Williams and Cortez Scott finished with 10 points apiece for Elgin. Tyler Sutton led the Wildcats with 15 points, but only had three points after halftime.
The title game will pit a pair of one-loss teams. The similarities between the squads end there, though.
Elgin’s one loss this season came against a Geneva team that is barely over .500. Brown is the team’s tallest player at 6-foot-4, and 6-3 forward Gerardo Mojica will likely be out with a high ankle sprain.
In contrast, La Lumiere boasts five players 6-7 or taller. The only loss for the Lakers this year came against Oak Hill Academy, which is arguably the most high-profile prep basketball program in the nation.
“Our game plan is we’re going to watch ‘Hoosiers,’” Elgin coach Mike Sitter said. “It’s the little team against the mighty giants. We’ll see how they did it in the movie and we’ll try to reenact that in real life.”
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