Deep Condors move deeper into tourney
PONTIAC — Curie doesn’t have a candidate for player of the year, but it has 12 very good players. The No. 2 Condors aren’t about flashy stats and high- major college recruits, so they plan on winning by wearing teams down with their depth.
That plan worked to perfection Friday, when Curie beat West Aurora 63- 54 in the quarterfinals of the Pontiac Holiday Tournament.
“We finally have all our guys back, so we can go 12 deep and wear teams down,” Curie coach Mike Oliver said. “We were able to be aggressive and turn up the defense in the second quarter because we had fresh bodies.”
Junior guard Marquise Walker, who had 19 points and five rebounds, has been one of Curie’s dependable threats. Junior Dajuan Gordon, a long, athletic wing, played the best game of his career, finishing with 19 points and six rebounds.
“It was great to do this on such a big stage,” Gordon said. “So many people want to talk to me now.”
West Aurora, which led 18- 13 after one quarter, started hot from three- point range. But Curie ( 9- 1) took control in the second quarter and led the rest of the game.
Senior Jared Crutcher is one of West Aurora’s biggest weapons. The 6- 5 forward is a great shot blocker and rebounder. He was neutralized by Curie’s 6- 8 Martin brothers, Tyree and Treavon.
“Our key was to make sure [ Crutcher] didn’t dominate the offensive glass,” Oliver said. “He gets 90 percent of his points in the paint. I told our guys to keep a body on him, and when he’s got it, keep your arms straight up. We did an excellent job of that and then kept attacking him when he picked up his second foul.”
Treavon Martin had 13 rebounds, and Crutcher finished with four points and five rebounds.
Junior Traevon Brown led the Blackhawks ( 8- 3) with 18 points and Damian Virgen added 10.
Curie will face Oak Park in the first semifinal Saturday. TheNo. 6 Huskies beat Bloomington 61- 60 in the first quarterfinal, thanks to senior guard Isaiah Fuller and some fortunate breaks in the final seconds.
Oak Park ( 9- 0) trailed by five with 5: 12 to play. Fuller ( 24 points) scored seven points in the next 3 ½ minutes to pull the Huskies within one. Anthony Roberts’ bucket in the post gave them the lead for good with 42 seconds left.