Johnsburg reaches sectional final
By JOE STEVENSON – jstevenson@nwherald.com
VERNON HILLS – The good part for Gordon Tech was it had hacked Johnsburg’s once-comfortable lead to six points with 2:17 remaining.
The bad part was the Rams had to press Johnsburg, which played right into Skyhawks guard Mike Dixon’s hands.
Dixon took the inbound pass and set up the full-court pressure just like a running back sets up a defense. The senior left-hander weaved in and around defenders, eventually dumping off his sixth assist of the game to center C.J. Fiedorowicz for an easy layup.
The basket ended a drought of 2:40 and eased the tension as the Skyhawks went on to defeat Chicago Gordon Tech, 57-45, in the IHSA Class 3A Vernon Hills Sectional boys basketball tournament semifinal Tuesday night.
“I like it when teams press us,” Dixon said. “I like handling the ball in those situations. That’s the best part of the game. I love when teams press us. There’s not a better feeling.”
Johnsburg (27-2) advances to Friday’s 7:30 p.m. championship game against St. Viator (23-6), which beat North Chicago, 82-64, in Tuesday’s first semifinal. The Skyhawks join the 2003 and 2006 teams as the only in school history to play in a boys basketball sectional championship.
Johnsburg built its lead to 14 points at the end of the third quarter, but the Rams (10-20) chipped away and knocked it down to 48-42 with 2:17 remaining on Martell Moore’s two free throws.
On the next possession, Dixon and Fiedorowicz, who have started together on varsity since they were freshmen, put the Skyhawks’ faithful at ease.
“There’s not a lot of guards who can give you what Mike Dixon does,” Johnsburg coach Luke Ravlin said. “That was exactly how we wanted to handle it, I couldn’t have drawn it up better. It’s a blessing to coach players that go out and execute what you plan to do.”
Johnsburg had only seven turnovers heading into the fourth quarter but committed five during the stretch as Gordon Tech closed the gap.
“I was thinking back to Lakes (a 60-58 regional championship victory Friday), and we kept our composure,” said Fiedorowicz, who notched game highs of 20 points and 13 rebounds. “We did what we did against Lakes, and we knocked down some free throws.”
Dixon finished with 16 points and hit 9 of 10 free throws. Guard Mike Dombrowski added eight points and six rebounds.
“Dixon’s as good a player in the open court as I’ve seen this year,” Rams coach Shay Boyle said. “Johnsburg did a great job executing down the stretch. We wanted to be there in the fourth quarter. They’re a strong team, and I wish them the best.”
Moore led Gordon Tech with 20 points, and Alex Retamozo added 12, with three three-pointers.
“No lead’s safe in the postseason when you’re playing teams with seniors,” Ravlin said. “They hit some big shots you don’t expect them to hit. Our guys handled it well and handled their pressure, and got the ball in the right spots.”
