Sandburg Men Upset No. 19 Cyclones, Will Play for Region IV Title
Aaron Frey
Sunday, March 1, 2020 9:04 PM
Athletics
Oglesby, IL
Scott Gowan (Rockford, Ill./Rockford East) poured in a game-high 26 points, Carter Fayhee (Macomb, Ill./Macomb) had a double-double and the Carl Sandburg College men’s basketball team upset top-seeded and nationally ranked Moraine Valley 83-69 on Sunday in the semifinals of the Region IV District 4 tournament.
The No. 4 seed Chargers (23-9) never trailed and will face second-seeded and No. 4 nationally South Suburban in the championship at 6 p.m. Saturday in Palos Hills with a trip to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament on the line. It’s the third time in the last seven years Sandburg will play for the region championship. The Chargers won the region title in 2014 and were runners-up to South Suburban in 2017.
Sandburg shot 53 percent overall and 52 percent from 3-point range to take down the 19th-ranked Cyclones (25-7), who also lost to Sandburg in the season opener. The Chargers attempted 28 fewer shots than Moraine Valley (79-51) — which had 21 of its 39 rebounds on the offensive end — but made two more field goals (27-25) than the Cyclones.
KEY MOMENTS
- The Chargers opened the game with six straight points from Gowan on a 3-pointer and three straight free throws. Up 32-25, Sandburg closed the first half with a 12-2 rush in the final 5:00 to go into the break ahead 44-27.
- The Chargers led by as many as 19 on a pair of occasions in the second. The only time Moraine Valley got within double digits was at 61-53 with 11:22 to play after a 9-0 run. The Chargers, though, answered with a pair of Gowan free throws and a corner trey from Jean Luc Wilson (East Moline, Ill./United Township) off a pass from Noah Young (Colfax, Ill./Ridgeview) for one of his six assists to push their lead back to 13 midway through the second.
SANDBURG STANDOUT
Gowan scored 13 in each half and finished 6 of 11 from the field. He went 3 of 5 from 3-point range and drained all 11 of his free-throw attempts, with eight of his foul shots coming after halftime.
OTHER TOP CHARGERS
- Fayhee had 13 points and a team-best 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. He also matched Young for game-high honors with six assists. His biggest shot of the night came when he rattled in a 3-pointer with 8:17 to go to push Sandburg’s lead to 69-56.
- Wilson finished with 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting.
- Sophomore James Jones (Springfield, Ill./Lanphier) had 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
FOR THE CYCLONES
- Christopher Harrison 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting
- Dontia Johnson 15 points, seven rebounds
- Ryan Saunders 11 points
UP NEXT FOR SANDBURG
Region IV District 4 championship vs. second-seeded and No. 4 nationally ranked South Suburban at 6 p.m. Saturday on the campus of Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills.
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