Class 4A sectional final at Elgin
Dundee-Crown 51, St. Charles North 49
Records: Dundee-Crown 23-5, St. Charles North 22-9
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Halftime: St. Charles North 25-18
Summary: Jeff Beck’s 12-foot jumper with 4.4 seconds left broke a 49-49 tie and lifted Dundee-Crown to the sectional title. The Chargers, who were behind the entire first half, didn’t get their first lead until the 2:39 mark of the third quarter. That’s when Justin Strzelczyk buried a three-pointer. The teams were tied 38-38 as the fourth quarter began. But after Aaron Reams scored at 7:19, Dundee-Crown never trailed again. Down the stretch, the Chargers built a 45-40 advantage. However, poor free throw shooting by the Chargers, who missed eight of nine at one point, allowed the North Stars to stay close. St. Charles North eventually tied the game with 16.4 seconds left on Zach Hirsch’s three-pointer. But the Chargers came down for one last possession, with Beck hitting the big basket. The North Stars nearly bailed it out at the buzzer. They got the ball down to David Johnson, who let loose a shot from beyond the three-point arc. But the ball banged off the rim as time ran out.
Top performers: Dundee-Crown — Beck 15 points, 7 rebounds; Marcus Henry 14 points; Reams 10 points, 7 rebounds. St. Charles North — Jonathan DeMoss 19 points.
The bonus: “There was no set play,” Beck said. “Coach (Lance Huber) told us to go down and try to get someone open. I was inside the arc in the (left) corner and let the shot go. When I saw it was in, it felt great. Coming back in the third quarter was the key for us. We wanted to come out in the third quarter and give it everything we had.”