Boys Basketball: Keith Carter powers Proviso East by Auburn

Updated: December 29, 2011 10:20PM

Keith Carter ended a quiet first half with a sweet midrange jumper that gave Proviso East a three-point lead at the break.

He was just getting started. “That got me going,” the senior point guard said.

Carter scored 16 of his game-high 23 points in the second half as the No. 2 Pirates used a 16-2 third-quarter flourish to knock out Rockford Auburn 75-56 in the second semifinal of the Proviso West tournament Thursday night in Hillside.

The Pirates advance to meet New Trier in Friday’s championship, its first title-game appearance since 2006. The Pirates have not won the tournament since 1991, the same year when they won the first of two straight Class AA state championship.

Carter hit two three-pointers in his 10-point third quarter.

“My teammates did a good job of finding me and fortunately I was able to knock them down,” he said. Carter also outplayed Auburn star guard Fred Van Vleet, limiting him to just 10 points.

LaMark Foote scored 15 points for the Knights.

Proviso East (10-0) shot 60 percent (20-33) in the second half as it exploded for 49 points after the intermission.

Carter shot 9 of 14 and junior forward Sterling Brown contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds. Seven of his rebounds were at the offensive end.

“We’re a three-guard team, and I’m one of the biggest players we have and I just wanted to use my size to get blocks, rebounds and put backs,” Brown said.

The third potent weapon was junior guard Paris Lee. The southpaw guard scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half. His layup and three-pointer sparked the third-quarter flourish that turned a narrow 35-31 lead into a 51-33 advantage.

The Pirates again used their withering full-court pressure to change the tone of the game. Proviso East forced 19 Auburn turnovers en route to a 22-8 advantage on points off turnovers.

“It’s also long rebounds and steals and just getting deflections,” Brown said. “We’re one of the fastest teams in the state, and we use that to get us going.”

Auburn (8-2) staged a final run when Van Vleet banked in a runner that closed out the third quarter with a 5-0 burst. The Knights’ 12-3 narrowed the deficit to 54-45. Proviso East center Alex Jabari hit a three-pointer from the left baseline that ignited another Pirates’ burst.

Brown scored six quick points that turned the game into a rout.

“In the second half, we settled down more offensively and played the way we are capable,” Proviso East coach Donnie Boyce said.

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