Larkin sophomore Pierre Black refused to get caught up Thursday night in the emotion of his first game against rival Elgin.
Long-distance shooters need a steady hand.
A 6-foot-1 guard, Black connected on four 3-pointers in a 16-point effort off the bench to build the lead. Anthony Lynch closed it with 15 points in the second half as Larkin defeated Elgin 70-47 in the Upstate Eight River.
“I was feeling good, and I was hitting it, and they were finding me,” Black said. “I felt really comfortable.”
Black shot 5-for-7 in the first half, including three 3-pointers, as Larkin (5-5, 2-2) built a 33-27 lead over Elgin (5-3, 1-2). Then Lynch and the press closed out the 11th straight win by the Royals in the series, tying a record owned by the Maroons.
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“They just didn’t play as tight on me as compared to some of the other teams,” Black said. “The last two games, those were decent, but this game it showed what I can do.”
Black’s scoring proved a welcome sight for Larkin in the second quarter with 6-10 Jalen Shaw and senior guard Kashmir Ivy in foul trouble.
“I love the fact the guys can trust Pierre,” Larkin coach Deryn Carter said. “He’s a big part of our outside shooting. He shoots a lot of them in the game.
“He’s just got to realize the difference to get them off quick and in rhythm and getting them off quick in a hurry.”
Black’s 3-pointer from the side and a layup started a 7-0 run late in the second quarter to give Larkin a 32-21 lead.
Elgin clawed back within six in the third quarter and trailed only 42-34 when Black drilled another 3-pointer off an assist by Kindrel Morris. It started the rout that Lynch finished.
“I think it was just a longer, sustained effort and energy,” Carter said. “The game was ugly at times, but the game was always high energy.”
Larkin had problems closing in three straight losses prior Thursday, but Lynch made sure it didn’t happen again. He scored seven in the third quarter when the Royals outscored Elgin 19-9.
Lynch made five steals and eight points in the fourth quarter.
“It’s a special win for us,” he said. “I think we just need to learn how to close games out.”
Lynch transferred to Larkin from South Elgin this year, so he’d never been in an Elgin-Larkin game. His father, Wallace, played for Elgin.
“He would always tell me he wanted to see me play in this game, so it was kind of like a dream to actually play an Elgin-Larkin game,” Lynch said. “I was a little nervous coming into it.”
Elgin shot only 18-for-56. The Maroons were led by 15 points from Reggie Cole and 11 by Dan Toolsie. Courtese Cooper added nine points, nine rebounds and four blocks.
Elgin coach Mike Sitter cited lack of senior leadership in the second half as a problem.
“There’s not a lot of heart, there’s not a lot of fight,” Sitter said. “Every loose ball they got to. Every long rebound they got to.
“An Elgin-Larkin game, your knees should be bloody and you should be sore, and we’ve got guys who just aren’t upset by a loss. And that upsets me.”
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