Boys basketball: Troyer Carlson, Kaneland catch fire in third quarter, storm past Streator into Classic final

PLANO – Troyer Carlson personally experienced a frustrating end to an uncharacteristic half by his Kaneland team Friday.

When Streator senior Christian Benning forced contact from Carlson on a 3-point attempt as time expired in the half, a foul was called. Two free throws gave the Bulldogs a six-point halftime lead on the top-seeded Knights.

“I thought it was good defense. He’s a great player,” said Carlson, Kaneland’s senior guard. “I knew I had to do a little bit more.”

Carlson did, and then some.

Coming out of halftime like a firecracker, Carlson scored 12 of his team’s points during a stunning 18-0 run to start the third quarter. Carlson went on to pour in 27 points, powering Kaneland past fifth-seeded Streator 59-49 in the first semifinal of the 60th Annual Christmas Classic.

Kaneland (12-3) moves on to its first Classic final since winning the 2009 championship and will go for its fourth title at Plano at 8 p.m. Saturday. The Knights will play unseeded Plano, which beat Marmion 55-52 to reach its first Classic final since 1980.

That history alone burned hot with Carlson, a four-year varsity player, more than any first-half fouls.

“We are the No. 1 seed, we were down at halftime. We came to win this,” Carlson said. “I’m a four-year varsity player. I want to win a championship. I came out and did what I had to do.”

Freddy Hassan added 12 points, 13 rebounds and six blocked shots for Kaneland. Benning scored 25 points and Logan Aukland nine for Streator (11-4).

Carlson, a Wisconsin-Whitewater football recruit, wasted no time reversing his team’s mighty struggle of a four-point second quarter.

He knocked down three 3-pointers in the first 85 seconds of the third quarter, then converted a three-point play in transition for a 29-21 lead less than two minutes out of halftime. Kaneland coach Ernie Colombe said his team has had issues with slow starts as a young group learns to play together. But Colombe knows who he can count on in big moments.

“Senior leader, he’s been in some big games before. We count on him for that,” Colombe said. “We have a lot of confidence in him, and he hit some big shots today.”

Hassan’s transition basket, the third on a Kaneland fast break out of halftime, ballooned the lead to 33-21. Carlson said it’s no secret how the Knights want to play.

“We’re at our best when we’re moving fast,” Carlson said. “When we’re going down the court, I don’t think anybody can stop us.”

Streator, in large part, prevented Kaneland from playing that way in the first half.

The Bulldogs forced 11 first-half turnovers and pulled down eight offensive rebounds to keep Kaneland out of transition. Benning, after missing his first eight shots, made five of his next six to pull Streator ahead 21-15 at half.

But missed opportunities – Streator shot 24.6% (17 for 69) from the field – prevented a wider margin before Kaneland flipped the switch.

“If we shot the ball halfway decent, we’re probably up 12 to 15 at halftime,” Streator coach Beau Doty said. “We felt like we guarded well, we kept them out of transition, and we rebounded despite losing [6-foot-7 Quinn] Baker to injury. He’s the only kid who could match Hassan.

“Kaneland has a lot of firepower, and we know that. They started to get in transition, and we can’t match that.”

Hassan, Kaneland’s springy 6-foot-6 junior, indeed was a terror defensively. Besides his six blocks, he altered several others, helping hold Benning to a 10-for-33 night.

“Freddy is really coming along,” Colombe said. “This is a guy that didn’t really play basketball as a freshman. He just started playing, and he’s really coming on. He’s so athletically gifted, he does affect shots and did a great job on the glass.”

Streator, after getting blitzed out of halftime to trail Kaneland 39-26 to the fourth quarter, didn’t go away. Benning’s 3-pointer with 5:18 left pulled the Bulldogs to within 41-38.

Carlson, though, came right back at the other end with a step-back 3-pointer and assisted Hassan and Parker Violett baskets to get the margin back to nine.

“We’ve been in this situation many times,” Carlson said. “We started the season slow, but we know what we have to do to get the job done.”

Doty, for his part, wasn’t surprised in the no quit from his kids.

“I had no doubt about the resolve of this team. It showed itself,” Doty said. “Yeah, this stings. But it’s also game 15.”