Killean leads Maine S. past S. Elgin
By Drake Skleba
Maine South senior P.J. Killean only had four points in the first half of the Hawk's 47-38 quarterfinal victory on Monday.
Killean followed the adage that "good things happen to those who wait." For the 10-1 Hawks things certainly did.
Killean scored 20 second-half points, including 12 in a 16-6 Hawk fourth-quarter run as South moved on to a Tuesday semifinal versus Riverside Brookfield (8-1) with its solid win over South Elgin.
"They came out and played really well and were outrebounding us in the first half," said Killean, a 6-foot-3 forward. "We started to hit our shots and did a much better job on the boards.
"My teammates got me the ball and I was able to knock down my shots. This was a big win for us. R-B is a quality program and we look forward to playing them tomorrrow."
South Elgin (9-2) led 22-17 at the half led by senior G Tommy Childs (13 points) and junior G Sam Sutter (14 points). Childs had seven and Sutter six in the first half for the Storm.
Killean scored eight points in the third quarter and brought the Hawks within 32-31 at the end of the third quarter.
With 7:43 left in the game Killean nailed a trey to give the Hawks a 34-32 lead, their first lead since 11-10.
At the 4:47 mark Killean struck again. The senior gunner hit a trey from the corner for a 38-33 Hawks lead.
Killean, who scored a dozen points in the fourth quarter, added a lay in that gave Maine South a 42-35 cushion with 1:25 left in the game.
"South Elgin played well tonight and has a quality team," said Maine South head coach Tony Lavorato, Jr. "We came out with more energy in the second half. P.J. had a great second half as great players do. He's been a quality player for us for three years. This was a great win for us."
Maine South received additional support from senior G Justin Wasik who tallied 11 points.
South Elgin will meet York in a fifth-place semifinal Tuesday.
