Junior guard Kindrel Morris saw Larkin trying to do too much individually Friday against Elgin and decided he could stop it.
The end result was Elgin area sports history at Chesbrough Field House.
Morris took charge to generate better offensive flow, Kashmir Ivy stepped up for 24 points and visiting Larkin took a 79-56 Upstate Eight River win to set a crosstown series record with 12 straight victories.
“I told my teammates to get to the wing and I was going to make plays for myself and others if (Elgin) collapsed on me,” Morris said. “I had to play better so they could play better.”
The 5-foot-7 Morris had four of his six assists in the second half for Larkin (12-10, 3-4), and several passes also put teammates into position to draw fouls and make free throws.
Larkin shot 10-for-12 from the line in the third quarter and built a 55-47 lead over Elgin (11-9, 2-5). The Royals then exploded in the fourth quarter by capitalizing on turnovers and Morris’ penetration.
“He was trying to put guys in certain spots,” Larkin coach Deryn Carter said of Morris. “He really grew up. He’s been playing really well.
“I could see he controlled that last quarter and a half with his penetration. He was getting where he wanted to get.”
Primary beneficiaries from Morris’ drives were Ivy, Jalen Shaw and Anthony Lynch. Shaw finished with 13 points and Lynch scored 12, including the capper. Ivy had 15 points in the second half.
During a stretch of 5:20 to end the third quarter and start the fourth, Larkin outscored Elgin 16-6 for a 65-49 lead.
“We had to stop trying to be one-on-one fancy and trying to outmaneuver them,” Ivy said. “We just moved the ball back and forth and stopped trying to make ‘and-one’ plays off of dribbling so much.”
After all, the Royals had Morris to do the dribbling and passing.
Elgin briefly regained hope after Courtese Cooper’s 3-pointer made it 65-52 with 5:29 left, but Lynch quickly dashed it by taking a midcourt pass from Morris and driving straight down the lane for a thundering slam dunk.
“I was playing OK, but that dunk really changed my game,” Lynch said. “I think I really got pumped up and excited after that play.”
Elgin received 18 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots from Courtese Cooper and 12 points from Dan Toolsie. But the Maroons couldn’t overcome 22 turnovers.
“I’m frustrated with all the turnovers,” Elgin coach Mike Sitter said. “A lot of them were just unforced, guys rushing.”
Those problems carried over to defense.
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“They have two shooters and we let them shoot,” Sitter said. “Everybody else, we had to keep them away from the rim and we let them go.”
Afterward, the Royals celebrated their record winning streak in the series in a noisy locker room.
“We were in there going crazy,” Ivy said. “It was fantastic — a good way to make history.”
Carter, a former Larkin player, also appreciated the moment.
“It means a lot,” Carter said. “I’m not going to sugarcoat that.”
Twitter @genechamberlai2