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Rocks lose their clutch, fall in State Farm title game
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By Daniel Makarewicz, danmak@qconline.com
By Daniel Makarewicz, danmak@qconline.com
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BLOOMINGTON -- Clutch plays carried the Rock Island boys' basketball team to uncharted territory. A lack of them kept the Rocks from extending the run. The inability to finish at key times on the offense end coupled with defensive lapses ended Rocky's quest for a first. North Chicago exploited those miscues, handing the Rocks a 69-61 loss on Saturday night in their first-ever appearance in the State Farm Holiday Classic championship game at the Shirk Center. "We were missing that clutch play," Rocky senior guard Brian Richardson said. "We just couldn't get that shot we needed." Nor could the Rocks (11-3) get a defensive stop. Trailing the entire second half, Rocky would get a basket or convert foul shots to stay close. Each time the Rocks rallied, North Chicago (14-1) would get a transition bucket or second-chance points. In the fourth quarter, the Warhawks scored on all but seven possessions. "We've got to get better at battling all the time," Rocky coach Thom Sigel said. "When you play good teams and have lapses, you're going to have a tough time winning." There were stretches of offensive fortune for the Rocks, especially early in the fourth quarter. C.J. Carr's basket with 4:41 left capped a spurt that whittled an eight-point deficit to 52-48. After Timothy Dixon missed two fouls shots on the ensuing possession, Rocky then had a chance to pull within one possession. However, the Rocks missed a shot, leading to an 8-0 North Chicago run over the next minute. JayQuan McCloud's 3-pointer from the left corner in the middle of the run proved to be the dagger the Warhawks needed. "We had a lot of plays we took off," Carr said. "They took advantage. That's our fault." Anytime the Rocks got close, North Chicago countered with a punch. "They just handled our pressure well," Richardson said. For the most part, Rocky handled the Warhawks' pressure and athleticism. But when it came time for a key basket or defensive stand, the Rocks could not finish. Other than that one possession where they were down 52-48 midway through the fourth quarter, the Rocks never were closer to getting the lead. "We were rushing too much," said Carr, who capped his all-tournament performance with 18 points and four assists. "Their pressure sped us up. We were playing their game instead of our game." What hurt Rocky all night was the Warhawks' offensive rebounds. North Chicago grabbed 15 offensive boards, leading to 20 second-chance points. "Way too many offensive rebounds," Richardson said. And not enough clutch plays. "They were good. They were fast," said Richardson, who had a team-high 24 points. "They just played well." That kept Rocky, which lost senior forward Raahsaan Brown to a left ankle injury in the third quarter, from winning the tournament for the first time in 11 appearances. "We missed out on a way better trophy than we're taking home," Richardson said. "But all in all, we played pretty well and learned a lot." 
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Today is Tuesday, May 21, the 141st day of 2013. There are 224 days left in the year.
1863 -- 150 years ago: On Monday the 11th inst. on Center Ridge in Mercer County,some citizens got out their cannon to celebrate the taking of Richmond. The gun wasoverloaded and burst. No one was injured, but one 30-pound piece went though thesecond story of a house.
1888 -- 125 years ago: The old folks concert at the Harper Theater last night to benefit St.Luke's Cottage Hospital, attracted a large audience.
1913 -- 100 years ago: Unless depredation by vandals in Rock Island parks is halted,special policemen will be assigned to night duty to protect the flowers and other property.
1938 -- 75 years ago: Station WHBF has received a special citation from Washington forits participation in Air Mail Week, which was observed this week throughout the nation.
1963 -- 50 years ago: A 10-year high in employment in the Quad-City area was reachedat the end of the last quarter, according to an industrial employment barometer releasedtoday.
1988 -- 25 years ago: Pee Wee teams will be able to play baseball and softball as usualon Diamond Three at Dorrance Park this summer, but after that, the ball field is doomed.County crews have put the diamond back in shape after heavy trucks marred the playingfield earlier this spring. Illinois Department of Transportation crews drove onto it to makeborings for the relocation of the junction of Illinois 84 and the Port Byron-Hillsdale road.
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