South Elgin Storms over Larkin in Streamwood Shootout

South Elgin's Josh Smith goes up for a shot against Larkin in the championship game of the Streamwood Shootout on Saturday. Smith, who recently returned to action after missing his entire junior season with a torn left ACL, helped lead the Storm to a 49-41 win.
(Shauna Bittle/Staff Photographer)

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STREAMWOOD -- Summer basketball is all about building a solid nucleus for the upcoming season, and it appears South Elgin is well on its way to accomplishing that task.

With a good mix of familiar faces and newcomers making contributions, the Storm earned the Streamwood Shootout title Saturday, knocking off Larkin 49-41 in the championship game.

The victory was South Elgin's second against the Royals at the shootout and gave the Storm a 5-1 record in the two-day event. Its only loss came in overtime against Driscoll on Friday.

Josh Smith, who recently returned to action after missing his entire junior season with a torn ACL in his left knee, looked sharp on both ends of the floor for South Elgin.

However, it was far from a one-man show for the Storm, which appeared to be in midseason form at times against Larkin while stretching its lead in the second half.

That high level of play is likely a by-product of the fact that South Elgin's five starters Saturday all played significant roles in the team's 2007-08 campaign that yielded a 13-15 record.

Among those starters was 6-foot-9 center Dan Lopez, who continued to show improvement in the paint as he prepares for his third varsity season. Fellow three-year varsity member Alex Sanchez also returns for South Elgin, as does hard-working forward Jeffrey Lewis and effective swingmen Jordan Dobler and Kyle Osborne, all of whom chipped in Saturday.

"We've had a really good summer," South Elgin coach Chaz Taft said. "Overall, I think this team loves playing with each other. It's not all about one guy, it's about everybody out there. We've got 11 or 12 guys that contribute, and they just play hard every night."

Added Smith: "We're doing really well. I didn't know what to expect coming in, but we're really meshing well. It's crazy."

Despite falling short in the championship game, Larkin continued to show significant signs of improvement as it looks to bounce back from last year's forgettable 1-25 season.

The Royals also appear to have a good, athletic nucleus in place as three-year varsity member Deonte McFadden leads a group of returnees that includes senior guard Jeff Saurbaugh, senior forwards Terell John, Anthony Barracks and Brandon Cooks and junior 3-point specialist Ryan Smith.

Newcomers James Ferron, who transferred to Larkin from Australia, and Jermaine Clemens also appear ready to help the Royals. The two juniors join another group of varsity newcomers who last year helped Larkin's sophomore team finish second in the Upstate Eight Conference.

The Royals compiled a 4-2 record at the shootout, with both losses coming against South Elgin.

"Everybody wants to win and they've got it in them," McFadden said. "We can do it. We've got a better team now and we'll be all right."

Streamwood also had a strong showing at the shootout, finishing 4-2 after beating Huntley in the third-place game.

Elgin's fortunes weren't as positive as it finished with a 1-4 mark after losing to East Aurora 59-57 in the consolation game. The Maroons were without key returnees Tom Roth and Marcus Redburg on Saturday.

Roth's absence was temporary as he was busy playing baseball, but Redburg's absence was caused by a torn ACL and meniscus in his left knee.

The injury occurred in May during a game Redburg was playing for the Elgin Vipers AAU squad as he was running a fastbreak and twisted his knee. The injury will keep him out of basketball action until at least November.

That could be an issue as the Maroons are slated to begin their season Nov. 24 at the Buffalo Grove Thanksgiving Tournament. Redburg figures to be a key player for Elgin next year after making significant contributions during the Maroons' run to a 21-10 record and sectional title last season.

"I had surgery about a month and a half ago, and now I'm rehabbing three times a week," said Redburg, who was on the bench during Saturday's consolation game. "Going into my senior year it's tough, especially watching from the bench and not being able to do anything about it.

"I should be back right at the beginning of November. It's just about getting back into shape at that time."