On Friday night the Titans conquered the Knights of Auburn 59-57 to advance to the IHSA Algonquin Jacobs 4A Sectional Tournament. On Tuesday night they will make the trek to Algonquin and play the host Golden Eagles in a semifinal match-up at 7:30pm.

This might be the toughest Sectional semifinal the Titans have had in years. The Golden Eagles, who failed to win the 2007 Regional title after going 26-1, have been looking forward to the 2008 post season for 12 months. Their objective for this season was not to win the Crystal Lake Regional Championship. They covet a trip to Peoria and the IHSA State Tournament. The Golden Eagles made that proclamation when they refused an offer to cut down the nets, a symbolic sign of victory, after they defeated Cary-Grove in the Crystal Lake South Regional final.

And why not, Senior John Moran who is the second leading scorer of all-time in the McHenry County area leads the Golden Eagles. Moran is only 126 points away from the top! John scored 18 points and had 7 assists in Friday night’s victory. Moran suffered a hyper-extended hip in the final weekend of the season and was not expected to play in the Regional opener against Crystal Lake South. But, when his teammates fell behind early in the first quarter, John was forced to enter the game. He ended the night with a game-high 21 points and led Jacobs to a 48-35 victory. “ Moran’s competitive juices are unbelievable,” said Jacobs coach Jim Hinkle.

John isn’t the only Moran playing for coach Hinkle. Junior Tim Moran had his best game of the year in Friday’s Regional Championship. Tim scored 16 points, including buzzer beaters in the first, second, and third quarters, and grabbed 12 rebounds. The juniors three pointer at the end of the first half sent the Golden Eagles to the locker room with a three-point lead. Zack Peterson (16 pts) and Conrad Krutwig (12 pts – 13 reb) are also key players for Jacobs.

Austin Morman (19 pts) led the Titans to a 59-57 victory over a stubborn Auburn squad. The Knights fell behind 30-15 late in the second quarter. Led by Ayrryous Ford (15pts ) and Darnell VanVleet (13 pts), Auburn staged a comeback that almost gave them a Regional title. Mike Edwards (11 pts) and Stephon Valentine (13 reb) helped the Titans hang on in the closing seconds.

The Titans hope to overcome the Jacob’s home court advantage when they battle the Golden Eagles in Tuesday’s Semifinal. The Golden Eagles are known for their stifling defense. One weakness seems to be defending the perimeter. Maybe Mike Edwards can take advantage of that imperfection like he did when the Titans faced DeKalb in the Regional Semifinal. Mike was 9-10 from the field, six for six from beyond the three-point line.

Tickets ($5) go on sale in the Boylan main office Monday morning at 8pm. The Boylan Broadcast program is attempting to get permission to bring you the Titan games. The schedule will be up as soon as we hear from Jacobs.

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