Royals' shooting cools off in loss

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ELGIN -- As long as the 3-pointers were falling on Saturday night, Larkin was able to hang right with a bigger and more athletic Waubonsie Valley team.

All went well for the Royals in the first half, when they drained six 3-pointers to build a five-point lead. However, when the well ran dry in the second half, the Warriors were able to pull away for 58-47 Upstate Eight Conference win.

"It's hard to just live and die by the 3-pointer," Larkin coach Larry Hight said. "Eventually, you have to take the ball inside, and we weren't able to do that. We went through a tough drought there in the start of the second half and we just couldn't recover."

Ryan Smith had three first-half 3-pointers to help Larkin (6-8, 1-2) build a 28-23 lead. However, the Royals missed their first six shots of the second half while Waubonsie went on a 14-0 run to pull ahead 37-28.

"We talked at halftime about how we were going to have to change our defensive scheme," said Waubonsie coach Steve Weemer. "They were hitting some shots, so we knew we had to do a better job of closing in on their shooters. I thought our defensive intensity was much better in the second half, and that is what got us going."

Jelani Johnson led the Warriors' second-half resurgence. He scored 20 of his game-high 31 points in the second half and also finished with 11 rebounds.

"We knew he was going to be a load for us," said Hight. "We did just about everything we could do to stop him. We zoned him, we collapsed on him but it just didn't seem to matter. He was just a one-man wrecking crew."

Johnson's only 3-pointer of the night put the Warriors ahead for good early in the third quarter.

The Warriors (8-6, 2-1) outscored the Royals 23-4 on second-chance points and had a 37-15 rebounding advantage.

"Every team we have played has been taller than us," said Hight. "So we can't use that as an excuse. There's ways to beat taller teams. We've done it this year. We just couldn't get it done tonight."

Smith hit the Royals' lone 3-pointer of the second half with 6:39 remaining to get Larkin back to within 41-36. However, the Warriors answered as Johnson scored putbacks on three consecutive possessions and Waubonsie pulled away for good.

Smith finished with a team-high 17 points. Jeff Saurbaugh added 11. Starter Brandon Cooks suffered an apparent neck injury scrambling for a loose ball in the first half. He was taken to a nearby hospital to be evaluated.