2012 hillcrest vs. dusable supersectional matchups

Hillcrest (26-5) narrowly snags a Supersectional victory against DuSable (16-10), 47-44, on Tuesday night at Joliet Central. The Hawks simply watched a 21-point late-third quarter lead disappear - COMPLETELY. But in the end, the team scored six of the contest's final eight points to earn another state semifinal matchup at Carver Arena in Peoria. Jayon'e Troutman led the way with 17 points and 7 boards, followed by Jovan Mooring, who added 10 points. "It just felt like we were drowning," Hillcrest forward Jayon'e Troutman said of his team's late plunge. "If we play again like we did in the third and fourth quarters, we won't get too far this weekend." As we all know, over the summer, they lost a teammate, Ryan Royall, who was killed in a shooting after a birthday party. This death is always on the minds of the players even when they won their sectional championship Friday night. “We’re going to chalk this win up to our brother in the sky,” Hillcrest’s Jayon’e Troutman said after contributing 13 points and 10 rebounds in the Hawks’ 59-48 win over Morgan Park in the Sectional finals. “We’re out here every day playing for him. That’s what this is all about. We’re just doing what he knew we could do.”

Jermayne Akons and Chris Galbreath scored 12 points each in the DuSable loss. "A couple of key mistakes at the end cost us," Galbreath said. "But we dug really deep in our hearts. We didn't lie down and we can be proud of ourselves for that." Up next 3A semifinal — Hillcrest vs. Peoria Central, 2 p.m. Friday, Carver Arena, Peoria. Hillcrest has gotten major contributions from everyone in its starting lineup — Troutman, Jovan Mooring, Jalen Loving, Kyle Oden and Virgil Fleming — in the postseason. Friday, the Hawks will be counting on more of the same. Remember the undervalued Hawks who won the 3A crown in 2010, but now people know who they are... so no escaping the radar on this trip. One thing’s for sure. Hillcrest won’t be lacking for motivation. “This means everything to us,” Mooring said. “We feel like we’re playing for something bigger than just a supersectional or a state championship.”

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