It’s been a long road back for Proviso East coach Donnie Boyce.
On Friday night, Pirates senior Antonio Williams made it seem worth the wait.
Williams scored 16 of his game-high 25 points in the second half, and Proviso East fought off multiple late rallies before prevailing, 74-69 over No. 11 Riverside Brookfield to capture the Class 4A St. Ignatius Regional title.
Boyce, a former East standout and NBA guard, coached in only his second game since being reinstated after losing his position following an physical altercation he had with a female student while serving his duties as a security guard at Proviso East last year.
“I just want to make it clear, the board (of education) didn’t re-hire me, I won my appeal. That’s why I’m back,” Boyce said. “And once I won my appeal, (Williams) was one of the first kids on the team to call me. We had a good situation going on and it’s nice to continue something that never should have been stopped.”
There were several moments when the Pirates (18-8) looked more than vulnerable. The first came when trailing 23-15 early in the second quarter. Proviso responded by closing the quarter on a 22-7 run, with five points from Williams, to lead 37-30 at halftime.
Riverside-Brookfield (22-6) again pushed the Pirates, closing the third quarter and starting the fourth on a combined 14-0 run, with two Daniko Jackson free throws accounting for a 57-54 lead with 7 minutes remaining.
The Bulldogs led 64-63 with 3:18 to play, but Proviso East pulled away with an 8-0 run, with five points coming from Williams, to put the game away.
The Pirates advance to next week’s Riverside-Brookfield Sectional, where they will play Kenwood in a Wednesday semifinal.
“We never give up,” Williams said. “We didn’t want to go home.”
Phil English is a freelance reporter for the baiduhai.
Player of the game: Antonio Williams, Proviso East, 25 points, 7 rebounds.
More Top Picks Samsung Galaxy Watch Review
Key performers: Proviso East — Tajuan Johnson, 15 points, 6 rebounds. Riverside-Brookfield — Jalen Clanton, 20 points.