Senior point guard Victor Sison had the perfect response for South Elgin.
Showing poise and presence, Sison expertly countered the series of traps and full-court pressure that Larkin threw at him. He took all of that effort as a good thing.
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“The pressure Larkin was creating gave me a lot of opportunity for my teammates,” Sison said. “And it gave me a chance to find a little more open spaces.
“I do like having the ball in my hands. I love to get my teammates involved.”
Sison made sure of that Thursday night. His heady and aggressive style reversed a 12-point deficit, catapulting the Storm to a 58-56 Upstate Eight Conference victory.
Taking control, Sison scored all seven of his points in the second half as South Elgin (13-8, 10-1) won its fifth straight. The Storm are 6-1 in their last seven games.
“In the first half, my shot was not falling, so I decided I take the ball to the basket,” said Sison, who also had five rebounds, three assists and two steals. “I had open lanes. I had to take it.”
The Storm, who beat the host Royals 58-41 on Dec. 6, swept the series against district rival Larkin (9-12, 6-5).
Senior guard Elias Cole-Williams scored 29 points. Senior forward Sean Harvey added 15 points and nine rebounds.
Harvey’s 3-point play with 32.6 seconds remaining punctuated a game-closing 12-4 spurt.
Sison, who was marginally used as a junior, has flourished under first-year coach Philip Church.
A steady hand and connective abilities from Sison have fused the different parts of the Storm’s motion offense.
“Last year, I didn’t play a lot and neither did any of the juniors from my class,” Sison said. “The new coach gave me the chance to control the offense and control the game.”
Junior guard Jakob Blakley scored 29 points for Larkin. Senior guard Adrian Colen-York contributed 11.
Although senior Armani Ivy only had two points, the 6-foot-3 wing personifies the idea of playing bigger than his size. His eight rebounds repeatedly gave the Royals second chances.
“I like to shoot the ball,” said Ivy, who’s in his fourth varsity season. “I also think of myself as a defense-first player.”
Ivy has been a steady presence for Larkin with a sure feel for the game, a solid shot and the toughness to battle inside.
“This year has been different for me because I really learned how to shoot for the first time,” he said. “I was always a tall guy, but recently everybody has caught up to me.
“I had to learn how to shoot the ball in order to play out there.”
Senior guard Jake Tiaokhiao, meanwhile, scored seven points and also contributed four rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Storm.
His 3-pointer on the opening possession of the fourth quarter began South Elgin’s comeback.
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“I would describe my game as more of a team player,” Tiaokhiao said. “I love getting them going and giving them the energy to just keep pushing.”
Like Sison, Tiaokhiao made the leap from being used sparingly as a situational guard with enhanced responsibilities.
His perseverance has paid off.
“The season started off slow for me, and I didn’t get as many minutes as I thought I deserved,” he said. “As the season progressed, I worked harder and harder and earned that starting spot.
“Now that I am here, I hope to maintain it.”
The dramatic comeback kept the Storm atop the conference standings with Fenton.
“That is really important because I don’t think South Elgin has won the conference in a while,” Sison said. “It’s huge for the senior class to make a statement, show that we are good and we can play with the best.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.