DANVILLE — Parkland's boys basketball crew entered the quarterfinals of the nationwide match Thursday night time, with South Suburban in search of greater than revenge.
The Bulldogs — who handed the Cobras their first lack of the season in a upset recreation on Jan. 9 — stood in the way in which of Parkland's first NJCAA Division II Closing 4 look since 1988, when the Cobras ranked second.
Each targets eluded Parkland in a 79-70 loss at Mary Miller Fitness center on the campus of Danville Space Group School.
“We've tried to construct this system round simply competing each day,” Parkland coach John Bowler mentioned. “I do know this one hurts as a result of it feels just like the season is over, (however) there's a chance for us to compete once more (Friday).”
Bowler's availability of scoring choices was on show once more after Jabryn Anderson led the Cobras with 23 factors and 11 rebounds of their tournament-opening win over St. Clair County (Mich.), Tuesday night time.
Champaign native JaMonte Williams led the Cobras with 23 factors and 5 rebounds off the bench Thursday night time, whereas Anderson scored 21 factors and had six rebounds and Tye Banks chipped in 9 factors.
However it wasn't sufficient for seventh-seeded Parkland (29-5) in opposition to second-seeded South Suburban (33-2).
“I assumed Jabryn was incredible once more,” Bowler mentioned. “He did an awesome job guarding and offensively. I feel JaMonte performed nice for us and gave us an actual spark.”
Neither crew gained management all through the evenly contested first half, which featured 9 lead modifications and the emergence of Jamel Jones, who led the Bulldogs offense with 17 factors within the first 20 minutes.
However 11 early factors from Williams helped the Cobras restrict the Bulldogs' halftime result in 32-30 regardless of a 24-16 South Suburban benefit on the glass.
“I feel our toughness (helped) in loads of methods,” Bowler mentioned. “We adopted the sport plan. I saved them out of transition. … We felt it was our zone there and we didn't flip the ball over.”
Banks opened the second half with a private Four-Zero run to present the Cobras a 34-32 lead, the ultimate basket of that sequence approaching a six-foot putback that eluded a defender's outstretched arm.
Chris Harrison tied the sport shortly earlier than Jones hit a triple to present South Suburban a 37-34 lead with 18:20 to play. The Bulldogs by no means trailed in Friday night time's nationwide semifinal in opposition to
“It's powerful as a result of at our degree we now have freshmen and sophomores, so we're in search of senior leaders and (quieting) juniors and seniors,” Bowler mentioned. “They're working their approach as much as this degree.”
Parkland known as timeout after an alley-oop layup from Tremear Fraley on a layup from Jones gave the Bulldogs a 45-38 lead with 15:17 to play.
Banks was known as for a technical foul following the spotlight, permitting Jones to increase the Bulldog result in 47-38 with a pair of free throws.
“We acquired beat in direction of the top,” Bowler mentioned. “Simply the calm half, we've been speaking about all of it yr. Begin with me. I’ve to do a greater job of holding my cool for the blokes.”
When Ken Sallee sank a 3 to chop the Cobras' deficit to 51-48 with 12 minutes left, the Bulldogs responded with a 10-Zero run that each one however iced the ultimate rating.
Parkland will now face fifth-seeded Des Moines Space (Iowa) in a semifinal recreation on Friday at three p.m.
“We've talked about all of it yr that we're going to play in an open parking zone in opposition to anyone,” Bowler mentioned. “All people needs to play within the ones that rely for a nationwide championship. The exhausting ones are those that occur after you lose.”