Composed Kaneland holds off Crystal Lake South

ROCHELLE – Kaneland’s once-beaten boys basketball team almost picked up eight losses Friday.

Then, after the IHSA Board of Directors overturned a decision by Executive Director Craig Anderson that would have forced them to forfeit Friday’s Class 3A Rochelle Sectional final, in addition to seven other games because they supposedly used an ineligible player in their previous seven games, the composed Knights played unfazed and fired up.

They built a lead late in the first quarter and maintained it the rest of the night in holding off Crystal Lake South 49-37, avenging last year’s 31-point loss in the same game at Kaneland.

The Knights (32-1) ran their winning streak to 31 games and captured their first sectional championship since 1982. South (30-5) saw its 10-game winning streak end.

“We just found out today, probably about 1 p.m.,” senior forward Freddy Hassan said of the IHSA Board of Directors ruling. “It just was more fuel to come out and win it. We hadn’t won a [sectional title] in 43 years, so it just means a lot to come out here and be able to do it.”

The 6-foot-6 Hassan and his brother, 6-9 sophomore Jeffrey Hassan, made sure Kaneland would be playing Monday in the supersectional at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, where the Knights will play DePaul College Prep (30-4) at 6 p.m.

Freddy Hassan posted game highs of 21 points and 20 rebounds, while also blocking three shots. Jeffrey Hassan blocked six shots, grabbed nine rebounds and scored eight points.

South, which was led by AJ Demirov’s 10 points, leaving him three shy of 2,000 for his four-year varsity career, struggled against Kaneland’s length early and throughout most of the first half.

“We were getting the shots we wanted,” Demirov said. “They just wouldn’t fall. That’s it. There’s nothing more to it.”

The Gators shot 5 of 25 from the floor in the first half and trailed 21-12. Jeffrey Hassan played a big part in that inefficiency.

“I think the first two quarters he affected the game crazy with his shot blocks,” Freddy Hassan said. “I was there too, but he’s just a little bit longer than me, and he can jump almost as high. That length makes such a big difference when it comes to blocking shots. He’s great at it.”

South played better offensively after halftime, pulling within 28-27 with 33 seconds left in the third on a putback by freshman John Morgan. But Jeffrey Hassan answered with a two-handed dunk, and Freddy Hassan opened the fourth with a three-point play and lean-in 14-footer to build the lead to 35-27.

South still was within five after Demirov hit his only 3-pointer of the night with 1:19 left, but Kaneland closed the game on a 7-0 run, punctuated by Jeffrey Hassan’s two-handed dunk in the closing seconds.

South shot 16 of 58 (28%) from the floor, including 4 of 22 (18%) from 3-point range.

“With their rim protection, it’s hard to get it inside to score when they’re set,” Gators coach Matt LePage said. “You got to make 3s. I said we had to make at least seven or eight. [Kaneland] played well. They were the aggressor from the start.”

Demirov never got into a rhythm offensively, shooting 4 of 19 from the floor and 1 of 3 from the foul line. He missed a contested 3 in the final minute that would have put him at 2,000 points. The point guard held his head high afterward, however, aware that the Gators won 61 games the past two years and captured three regional titles since his sophomore year.

“There’s a lot to be proud of the last two years,” Demirov said. “Everybody’s been saying it was the best two years in Crystal Lake South history. I just hope that the younger dudes take lessons from what we did, so Crystal Lake South can keep the run going. It’s all about the younger generation.”

Carson Trivellini added nine points for the Gators, while Tony Santarelli had four points, eight rebounds and four steals.

“Our effort was there,” LePage said. “I’m proud of our guys, our seniors. It was a heck of a two, three-year run, and that’s what our message was afterward. It’s hard to get to these spots. You got to play your best game to advance, and we did not play our best game tonight.”

Marshawn Cocroft scored seven of his 11 points in the first quarter in helping Kaneland set the game’s tone. The Knights closed the first quarter with a 9-0 run to erase a 6-5 deficit.

Kaneland coach Ernie Colombe was proud of his team for not letting the forfeit possibility from earlier in the day become a distraction. Transfer Jalen Carter was the player whose eligibility was scrutinized. He came off the bench in Wednesday’s semifinal win over Rockford Boylan.

“There’s so many factors there,” Colombe said. “Our guys just won their 32nd game and won a sectional for the first time since ‘82. I want to talk about that. I’ll get myself in trouble if I say what I think about that other stuff.”