Thomas Ives had a season high for 3-pointers Tuesday night and Hinsdale Central’s senior guard needed only one half to do it.
Ives equaled his season best 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting and made 5 of 6 3-pointers as the fourth-seeded Red Devils beat District 86 rival and 13th-seeded Hinsdale South (15-15) 65-51 in the Class 4A Downers Grove South Regional semifinal.
Hinsdale Central (21-6) advanced to play fifth-seeded Willowbrook or 12th-seeded Downers North at 7 p.m. Friday in the regional final.
Ives, who will attend Colgate next season and play football, scored 17 points in the first half and hit on four consecutive 3-pointers.
The Red Devils led 20-9 in the first quarter.
“On my first shot (an 18-foot jumper), I felt pretty good,” Ives said. “On my second shot, when it fell in, I was starting to feel it.”
Four Red Devils combined to go 9-for-16 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Ives has 43 3-pointers on the season, while senior guard Jordan Bradshaw leads the Red Devils with 46.
“We took what they gave us,” Hinsdale Central coach Nick Latorre said. “Obviously, the wanted to take away our outside game.”
More Top Picks How We Test
Furman recruit Matt Rafferty (6-foot-8) had 11 points and five rebounds and Hinsdale Central teammate George Kiernan (6-foot-6) had 14 points. Hinsdale South’s 6-foot-11 Barret Benson finished with 21 points and six rebounds.
Twitter@geomwilcox