Sports

Boys Basketball: Andrew Pulls Away from Stagg in Closing Minutes to Reach Regional Final

Andrew 48, Stagg 39. Thunderbolts go 8-of-8 from the free-throw line down the stretch to advance to the Stagg Regional title game.

The Hot Read: In front of a packed crowd with strong representation from both sides, Andrew and Stagg met for a third time this season—and for the second time on Stagg's home court. This time, it was for a berth in the Stagg Regional championship game against Lockport. Both teams kept pace with each other for most of the game, with neither leading by more than five points before the final two minutes. Free throws made the difference down the stretch, as Stagg sent Andrew to the line repeatedly in the closing minutes and the T-Bolts went 8-for-8 from the charity stripe in that stretch to seal the victory, 48-39.

Key Stats: Andrew used its height advantage to outrebound the Chargers 26-20. Andrew was 13-of-16 from the free-throw line on the night, while Stagg was 9-of-13.

Patch’s MVP: Andrew's Jubril Adekoya had 12 points and eight rebounds to lead the Thunderbolts in the victory.

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Andrew’s Leaders: In addition to Adekoya: Glorind Lisha (8 points, 3 rebounds) and Mike Bobek (8 points, 2 rebounds).

Stagg’s Leaders: Darius Draper (16 points, 9 rebounds), Scott Lyons (7 points, 2 steals) and Dan Ahern (7 points).

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Quotable I: Andrew coach Mike O'Halloran on beating Stagg at home for the second time:  “They beat us at our place (on Feb. 8). It's two very evenly matched teams, and if we played 10 times, we'd probably split 5-5. "

Quotable II: Stagg coach John Daniels on the loss: "We got beat tonight. We didn't lose the game. If you want to go out, you go out that way. We missed a few free throws and a couple big shots, and if we make those, it's more interesting. All the credit goes to Andrew—they had us beat."

Team Records: Andrew improves to 16-10. Stagg finishes the year at 21-6.

What's Next: Andrew will take on Lockport on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Stagg Regional championship game.



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