Jack Haynes, Streator outlast L-P to earn title game berth at Ottawa

OTTAWA – With 3:33 left in the third quarter and his team trailing by two points, Streator senior Jack Haynes had to leave the game with a bloody nose.

While Haynes was being treated, he could hear cheers from the crowd but didn’t know what was happening.

When he returned for the start of the fourth quarter, the game was tied.

The Bulldogs scored on their first six possessions of the fourth quarter to build an eight-point lead then hung on to defeat La Salle-Peru, 58-55, in their final pool play game Friday at the Dean Riley Shootin’ The Rock Thanksgiving Tournament.

Streator and L-P both finished 2-1 in pool play, but the Bulldogs earned a spot in the championship game due to the head-to-head tiebreaker.

The Bulldogs will play unbeaten Oak Forest in the title game at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, while the Cavaliers will face Dixon in the third-place game at 4 p.m.

“It was the best feeling,” said Haynes, who had scored 23 of Streator’s 34 points before missing time with the injury. “Before I left, I yelled to a couple of my teammates, ‘Keep up the intensity and be confident with the ball. Be right back.’ I heard the crowd. I was wondering what was going on. I came out and saw the score. I was just so happy they could do it without me. I know I’m not the only one on the team who could step up. They stepped up for me, and I was very proud of them.”

With Haynes out, the Bulldogs actually built a five-point lead.

Tyler Luckey drove for a bucket, then Christian Benning scored the next five points on a free throw, a drive for a hoop and a steal and fastbreak layup for a 41-36 lead.

“That was huge. It was more adversity,” said Streator coach Beau Doty, whose team lost starting guard Jack Starkey in its 69-67 loss to Marengo earlier Friday. “Our best player gets a busted up nose, goes out for 3:30 and we get it up to a five-point lead. That’s what really got us going. I think it injected everyone with confidence.”

Haynes scored six points during Streator’s 13-5 run to start the fourth quarter with Benning adding four points and Blake Ewing hitting a 3-pointer.

However, L-P held the Bulldogs to four points in the final 5:18, and the Cavs managed to rally.

John Riva sank a 3 with 1:44 left and Michael Jereb drove for a bucket with 59.4 seconds left to make it 56-55.

Ewing made a pair of free throws with 20.1 seconds left to put Streator ahead, 58-55.

After timeouts with 16.7, 13.2 and 4.4 seconds left, the Cavs inbounded the ball and Jereb tried a 3-pointer, but it missed to preserve Streator’s win.

“I thought we had a nice look at the end,” L-P coach Jim Cherveny said. “Mikey maybe got fouled on the last-second opportunity. It didn’t work out for us. Sometimes you get that call, but most of the time you don’t late in the game.

“Our defensive picked up [during the late rally]. We finally got some shots to fall. Johnny Riva hit a big 3. Josh had a couple good looks. Tyler Wrobleski cutting to the hoop. We didn’t settle for tough shots. We were looking to get something easy and something open.”

Haynes finished with 29 points and 14 rebounds for Streator, while Benning finished with 16 points and six assists.

“We wanted to assert ourselves and try to take pressure off some of the guys who were in spots they haven’t been in and get the ball to 23 [Haynes],” Doty said. “He was a man tonight. He did what he had to do. In order for us to win with Starkey out, we needed a big night out of him and out of Christian Benning. He came out the second half ready to go. He struggled the first half, but he stayed with it.”

Josh Senica had 18 points and eight rebounds for the Cavs, while Riva and Jereb added 13 points each.

“It wasn’t our best. I know it and the guys know it,” said Cherveny, whose team won, 73-68, over Pontiac in overtime earlier Friday. “It’s hard coming off an overtime game a couple hours before. It’s not an excuse, but we had some shots fall short and didn’t make some shots at the rim. I thought we looked a little fatigued physically and mentally.”

La Salle-Peru 73, Pontiac 68 (OT)

The Cavs outscored Pontiac, 39-33, in the second half to overcome a six-point halftime deficit to force overtime.

In the extra session, Jereb hit a 10-footer, and L-P made 12 of 14 free throws to pull out the win.

“Pontiac has a heck of a team,” Cherveny said. “They’re young and have a lot of good players. I think our senior leadership and experience paid off.”

Jereb led four Cavs in double figures with 23 points. Riva scored 19 points, while Senica and Sean Whitfield added 13 points each. Senica finished with a double-double as he also grabbed 10 rebounds.

Marengo 69, Streator 67

The Bulldogs led by 10 points in the second half but let the lead slip away as they were outscored 26-14 in the fourth quarter.

Haynes finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds for Streator, while Benning had 17 points, six rebounds and four assists.