PEKIN – Determined Yorkville dared to dream its magical basketball season could continue.

Experience matters, though, and standing in the way was battle-tested Normal Community with a harsh jolt of postseason reality.

Chalk one up for experience.

The big and physical Ironmen, with five if its top six players standing 6-foot-4 or taller, got 27 points from junior guard Braylon Roman and 12 from 6-9 junior center Jaheem Webber Friday to extinguish Yorkville’s memorable campaign 61-45 in the Class 4A Pekin Regional championship game at Dawson Hawkins Gymnasium.

“Our guys are kind of used to being in these kind of games,” said Normal Community coach Dave Witzig, whose fifth-seeded club (20-13) now gets another crack at Associated Press No. 2-ranked Moline (30-3) in Tuesday’s Moline Sectional semifinals.

Moline beat Normal Community 64-39 Feb. 11.

“I think we still have a lot of work to do,” said Roman, whose desperation trey at the halftime buzzer capped a game-changing 9-0 run.

Second-seeded Yorkville (26-6), chasing its first regional crown in 18 years, instead suffered its largest defeat of the year. The Foxes were a 14-point victim of Palatine at Christmas along with three single digit setbacks during a record-tying season of success.

“That’s an awfully good No. 5 seed,” Yorkville coach John Holakovsky said. “This might have been the only 2-5 pairing in the state. I wouldn’t say they are the best team we’ve played because we’ve played some really good ones, but they’re really good.”

Still, Yorkville grabbed a 12-9 first quarter lead and was up 19-14 when Normal Community went on a 10-0 run. Then, after reserve guard Michael Dunn brought the Foxes within 26-24 with a 3-pointer, Normal Community nailed three treys for another 9-0 spurt and a 35-24 halftime cushion.

“It’s 26-24 and we’re shooting free throws and all of a sudden I look up and we’re down 11,” Holakovsky said. “The game changed that quickly.”

That’s an awfully good No. 5 seed. This might have been the only 2-5 pairing in the state. I wouldn’t say they are the best team we’ve played because we’ve played some really good ones, but they’re really good.

—  Yorkville coach John Holakovsky

From there, the Foxes only got within single digits once at 48-40 on back-to-back fourth quarter baskets by Bryce Salek before the Ironmen went on another 9-0 run.

“We’ve played a tough schedule this year and I think that’s really helped,” Witzig said. “The (Big 12) conference we play in really helps us prepare for these situations.’’

The Ironmen shot 52.6% (20 of 38) and went 13 of 17 from the foul line to offset 16 turnovers.

Dunn gave Yorkville a spark off the bench with 13 points and 6-10 Jason Jakstys and Dayvion Johnson added eight and seven, respectively.

Kaevian Johnson (6), Salek (4), Jory Boley (4) and Tanner Gardner (3) rounded out the scoring as the Foxes shot 46.3% (19-of-41) but were only 2 of 9 from the foul line.

However, senior leader LeBaron Lee, giving up considerable height and massive weight guarding Webber and 6-6 backup Kobe Walker in the post, went scoreless.

“I love our team,” Holakovsky said. “Absolutely love ‘em. All heart. All effort. All the time.

“The hardest part of all of this is going to be not being with these guys six days a week. They mean that much to me.”

Notes: Yorkville had won seven regional titles in its 73-year recorded history, the last coming in 2005, along with a string of four in seven seasons between 1989-96. Normal Community has 10 regional crowns in the 24-year tenure of Witzig (487-231 overall record), highlighted by a Class 4A runner-up finish in 2015 and a fourth-place showing in 2011. This is Yorkville ‘s 11th 20-win season and first since 2012, with program high water marks of 26-2 in 2004-05 and 26-4 in 1945-46.