Harreld’s heroics lead Aurora Central Catholic boys basketball to sectional title

WOODSTOCK – In a situation in which Ryan Harreld should have been on edge, he instead looked like the guy having the most fun in all of the packed gymnasium.

With the Aurora Central Catholic boys basketball team trailing, 72-69, coming out of a timeout with 20 seconds left in regulation, Harreld frantically waved his arms to whip the Chargers' crowd into hysterics.
It was as if he were convinced of what would come next.

“I knew something good was going to happen,” Harreld said. “And it happened.”

After a few swift passes, the ball swung to Harreld, who measured a 24-foot jumper and buried it to tie a game that soon went to overtime, with the Chargers prevailing on Friday over Rockford East, 85-82, to win the IHSA Class 3A Woodstock North Sectional championship.

The sectional title is the Chargers’ first since the 1990-91 season, and sends ACC to Tuesday’s 6 p.m. NIU Supersectional against powerhouse Rock Island, which ripped ACC when the teams played during the regular season.

“I’m not going to think about them for at least an hour,” Chargers coach Nate Drye said. “I just want to be happy until I start rehashing Rock Island memories.”

The Chargers were elated, all right, lingering on the floor for a lengthy postgame celebration that included the traditional championship net-snipping. The remarkable performance was headlined by a rally from eight points down in the fourth quarter and a stream of clutch plays at both ends, none bigger than Harreld’s sure-to-be-legendary connection with 12 seconds to go. The E-Rabs could not generate a shot in the closing seconds of regulation.

“He made a buzzer-beating three against Aurora Christian last year – if we had anybody to take that shot, we’d want it to be Harreld,” Drye said. “He’s the man. He’s made big shots for us all year. He’s just got a knack for doing it. Great players make great plays, and he obviously made an unreal play.”

The Chargers (17-13) trailed, 64-56, with about 4:30 to go in the fourth quarter before attacking drives by senior forward Tim Fernandez and a couple crucial steals from Harreld helped ACC close the gap.

Harreld was by no means the quickest guy on the floor, but he scrambled like a man possessed against a Rockford East team that slowed the game’s tempo in hopes of preserving its lead.

“He’s got good hands – he’s got great, quick hands, and he’s able to get a lot of tips and deflections,” Drye said. “He can play. A lot of it is, he just didn’t want it to be done.”

E-Rabs coach Roy Sackmaster defended his team’s delay tactics, saying the strategy worked frequently during his team’s 19-12 season, but acknowledged the Chargers became the aggressors late.

“They were going after it and playing like their season was on the line,” Sackmaster said. “We were playing not to lose and hoping we’d just get out of here and escape with a win. I think that was a little bit of a difference.”

In overtime, ACC went ahead for good on a three-pointer by sophomore guard Joe Medgyesi, his first points of the night, for a 78-76 lead with 1:35 to go.

Chargers defensive dynamo Robert DeMyers (18 points, 12 rebounds, seven blocks) fouled out on Rockford East’s ensuing possession, but the E-Rabs’ Alonte Holliday missed both free throws, and DeMyers’ replacement, senior Kent Brauweiler, raced upcourt for a transition layup to extend ACC’s lead to 80-76.

Rockford East trailed, 84-79, when Andrew Lantz hit a three-pointer with about nine seconds to go to make it 84-82. Harreld then split a pair of free throws with 6.5 seconds to go, and a clean look from Rockford East sniper Javon Henderson was no good in the final seconds to end the game.

Aside from Harreld’s heroics, the determination of 6-foot-1 junior forward Joey McEachern was a revelation for the Chargers. McEachern scored 19 points and yanked down 13 rebounds against an E-Rabs team known for its prowess on the glass.

McEachern, whose putback with 40 seconds left in regulation drew ACC within 71-69, said “it’s just shocking right now.”

"We had to go for every single steal, every single rebound," McEachern said. "We had to take chances."
Drye challenged his undersized forward beforehand, sensing DeMyers would need help on the glass.

“I told him before the game, if we were going to win, he had to have 10-plus rebounds, and he just went past that,” Drye said. “He cruised right past 10 rebounds. It was unreal. He just kept working.”

Harreld (24 points), McEachern (19), DeMyers (18) and Fernandez (16) powered ACC’s offense.

The first half was tight throughout, although the E-Rabs closed the half stronger to gain a 38-31 halftime advantage. The final two points of the half came on a pair of Rockford East free throws by senior Matt Mallon with no time on the clock after Brauweiler was whistled for the Chargers’ seventh team foul while trying to secure a rebound.

The E-Rabs, led by 21 points from fast-starting junior Steve McNease, led by as many as 12 in the third quarter, and were ahead, 58-52, to open the fourth.

But the Chargers’ late-game ferocity was enough – barely – to move within one game of a trip to Peoria. Rock Island, led by Stanford recruit Chasson Randle, won the meeting last month in Aurora, 82-66.

“We’re about to enter the lion’s den, so we’ll see what happens then,” Drye said.