Mooseheart rolls into final
ELGIN -- The last time Mooseheart played for a regional championship hippies were hip and teachers made just over $5,000 per year. It's been a long time.
After dispatching North Shore Country Day 63-40 in a Westminster Christian Class 1A Regional semifinal on Thursday, the Red Ramblers have very little time to celebrate.
Top-seeded Westminster Christian awaits tonight. The Red Ramblers, who improved to 17-6 on the season, have been patiently waiting for the rematch. The Warriors downed Mooseheart by five points in a see-saw game two weeks ago.
"Since freshman year, me and Floyd (Mays) talked about going to state and being our senior year we couldn't wait for (the tournament)," said Mike Tovar, who led the Red Ramblers with 17 points. "We played this game like it was our last game, like we weren't playing tomorrow. We played with a lot of intensity right from the get go."
Mooseheart led from buzzer to buzzer while extending its margin each quarter. All five starters scored in the opening frame when Mooseheart staked a 15-9 edge. Ethan Grasty (10 points off the bench) helped the Red Ramblers forge a 31-21 halftime advantage with three jumpers in the second stanza while Dennis Davis added a pair of baskets and Mays put back a rebound and hit two free throws.
"We weren't worried about Westminster; we were focused on North Shore," Tovar added.
Indeed. Hitting 13 of 23 from the field and 4 of 4 from the charity stripe in the first half, the Red Ramblers were smoking hot. Embers still burning after the break, Mooseheart canned 13 of 26 from the floor and 5 of 8 freebees.
"We played really well as a team, or a brotherhood as we call it," said Mays, who tallied 12 points, seven rebounds, four steals and two assists. "The crowd came out and got behind us."
Gabe Kendor opened the second half with a 3-pointer and Davis (12 points, 11 rebounds) followed with a tip-in before Billy Gendell answered with a rare 3-pointer at the 5:45 mark. The Raiders connected on a paltry 5 of 24 from beyond the arc and went 7 of 31 from the floor after the intermission.
"I wanted to put some pressure on them right away," said Mooseheart coach Jeff Perales. "I knew our quickness would eventually take over and then our strength inside too, and that was pretty much the name of the game down low."
Tovar, who sat 12:38 of the first half with two fouls, had a monstrous second half. He garnered 10 of the Red Rambler's final 12 points of the third quarter and added a pair of buckets in the final quarter that bulged Mooseheart's lead to 55-31 with 6:10 to play. Chris Morones chipped in six points, all in the first half, while Jay Findlay led the Raiders with 17 points.
Mooseheart claimed a 39-14 advantage on the boards. Tovar grabbed eight rebounds and had two steals.
"We're definitely looking forward to playing them (Westminster Christian) again," added Perales.
No time like the present. Class 1A Westminster Christian Regional