MARENGO — The Byron Tigers looked to be in full control after taking a 10-point lead during the third quarter of the IHSA 2A Marengo Sectional Semifinal against Princeton on Wednesday.
Cason Newton drained a 3-pointer and scored a transition layup off a Princeton turnover to help Byron take a 27-17 lead in a low-scoring and physical semifinal battle. But a defensive change from Princeton stymied the Byron offense, as the Tigers went roughly seven minutes between the third and fourth quarters without scoring, allowing Princeton to rally back and tie the game.
In an intense finale that saw Princeton’s Noah LaPorte and Byron’s Ben Hiveley knock down clutch triples for their respective teams, it was the Princeton Tigers who clinched their bid to the sectional championship, holding off the Byron Tigers 46-42. Princeton (21-12, 8-2 Three Rivers), who has now won 12 straight games, will advance to face Rock Falls for the sectional title on Friday. Newton and Hiveley each led Byron (21-10, 5-4 Big Northern) with 14 points in the loss.
“We didn’t know what to expect this season since we were blending a variety of age groups,” Byron head coach Matt Huels said. “But for this group to win over 20 games and put themselves one quarter away from a sectional final, it’s a testament to them as kids and how they play. This result will sting for a while and it’ll motivate them to get back in the gym when the time is right.”
Byron and Princeton faced off earlier in the season, with the Princeton Tigers edging the Byron Tigers 53-51 on Princeton's home floor. Wednesday’s neutral-site semifinal saw Byron take control with its defense early, as the Tigers held Princeton without a point for over four minutes due to their 1-2-2 press and half-court defense. Byron also made life difficult for the 6-foot-6 forward LaPorte, who was largely shut down in the first quarter due to fast double teams.
“When we were man-to-man, we did a good job of fronting him and giving help side defense,” Huels said. “We were able to get the 1-2-2 going early, but we also can’t get the 1-2-2 going if we don’t score the basketball. When they made their run in the third quarter and we couldn’t score, we couldn’t get back into our ball press, which was the turning point of the game.”
Hiveley and Newton each buried 3-pointers to help Byron take a 12-5 lead into the second quarter, where both teams struggled to knock down perimeter shots and finish around the basket. Princeton continued its efforts to run offense through its star LaPorte, a Northwestern football commit, but the Tigers stood tall defensively, holding him to five first-half points.
Leading 18-14 at halftime, Byron found its biggest offensive spark of the game early in the third quarter, where the Tigers attacked the holes in Princeton’s 2-3 zone defense and capitalized on offensive rebounds to open the quarter on a 9-3 run. Although Princeton made just two field goals in the third quarter, LaPorte began to have a larger impact on the game, drawing a flurry of Byron fouls around the basket and reaching the free-throw line four times, making five.
“They started in a 2-3 zone and we were able to start our offense a little closer to the basket,” Huels said. “We were able to make shots, which allowed us to get into the 1-2-2 and create havoc on defense. They switched to the 1-3-1 and we weren’t able to score for a long stretch. We weren’t able to get things going to the basket and we weren’t able to set up our 1-2-2.”
The Princeton crowd came alive in the final moments of the third quarter, as Luke Smith drilled a 3-pointer before the buzzer to bring Byron within five points, 33-28, entering the fourth quarter. With Princeton’s 1-3-1 zone defense creating problems for the Byron offense, Princeton tied the game at 33-33 after Asa Gartin finished a layup through contact and completed the 3-point play to the applause of the Princeton fans.
LaPorte then drained a 3-pointer moments later, giving Princeton its first lead of the second half and capping off a 13-0 run that stretched between the third and fourth quarters. LaPorte scored 14 of his game-high 19 points in the second half.
“We talked about how the team that makes the last run or the longest run will probably be the team that wins the game,” Huels said. “They made the longest run and that’s why they won. We were interested to see how physical the game would be allowed to get. I felt like the game was allowed to get physical and in the third quarter, when the game swung, they were allowed to be a little more physical and we didn’t do the greatest job of attacking to combat our foul trouble.”
Newton brought Byron within one after the junior guard drew a foul on a 3-point attempt in the final minutes of the game. Newton went 2-for-3 from the line to make the score 38-37, but the Princeton Tigers answered after LaPorte caught a pass inside and threw down a two-handed dunk to return the lead to three. Hiveley then drained one of Byron’s biggest shots of the night, cashing in a triple from the corner that evened the score at 40-40 with roughly a minute left.
A floater from Princeton’s Jordan Reinhardt on the team’s next possession enabled the team to retake a slim lead. Byron had opportunities to tie or take the lead in the final moments, but a missed 3-pointer and a pair of missed free throws led to defensive rebounds for Princeton, who ultimately closed the game on a 6-2 run. Reinhardt finished with 12 points, six of which came in the fourth quarter, while Newton scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half for Byron.
