Orr sophomore Raekwon Drake may fly high, but he’s flown under the radar so far in his young high school basketball career.
Drake, who is 6-foot-5 and has a 30-plus inch vertical, is driven to make a bigger name for himself, and he’s using the state playoffs as his stage.
Drake scored 22 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and had much of the crowd on its feet with a handful of thunderous dunks to lead Orr to an 82-73 victory over defending Class 2A champion Uplift in the DePaul Prep Sectional championship.
The Spartans (20-3) will play Hales in Tuesday’s Joliet Central Supersectional.
“I feel like I don’t get enough respect,” said Drake, who also had 23 points and 11 rebounds in Wednesday’s sectional semifinal win against DePaul Prep. “When I put my mind to it, I play good.”
Orr coach Louis Adams has been leading the publicity campaign for Drake. Adams was confident the word was getting out there.
“He doesn’t have any offers,” Adams said. “He’s hearing from a lot of mid-major schools. I expect that to change soon.”
Drake and the Spartans’ aggressive defense troubled Uplift’s young lineup, which started four underclassmen, for much of the game. Uplift (19-8) committed 25 turnovers. The Titans were able to stay close in the first half by shooting 15-of-18 from the free-throw line.
Orr opened up the third quarter on an 11-2 run to give itself a comfortable lead. Uplift rallied to cut its deficit to single digits late in the fourth quarter.
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Scott Powers is a freelance reporter for the baiduhai.
Player of the game: Raekwon Drake, Orr, 23 points, 11 rebounds, 4 steals.
Key performers: Orr — Devon King, 17 points; Brian Hernandez, 13 points, Rayvon Turner, 10 points, 9 rebounds; Uplift — Demarius Jacobs, 23 points, 3 steals; Davarion Jacobs, 18 points; Toraze Dobbs, 12 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals.