Elmhurst came storming out of the gate in the first half, as Evan Patchett (Reddick-Herscher) hit three straight 3-pointers to give Elmhurst an early 9-1 lead. The Bluejays pushed their lead to a commanding 25-3 advantage with just seven minutes in the book in the first half. Marian began to trim away at the lead, closing the deficit to as close as 11 points at 33-22 with 5:24 to play in the half. Elmhurst carried a 43-28 lead into the locker rooms at halftime.
The Bluejays shot 53.6 percent from the floor (15-of-28) and a whopping 70 percent (7-of-10) from beyond the 3-point arc in the first half. Marian shot 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from the floor and just 12.5 percent (1-of-8) from 3-point range.
The Bluejays struggled in the opening minutes of the second half, unable to hit a bucket for the first 4:30 of the half. Marian cut the lead to 10 points at 43-33 before the Bluejays answered back with a 13-3 run to take a 56-36 lead with 11:05 to play. A 3-pointer by Marian cut the Bluejays’ lead to 17 points, but Elmhurst put the game out of reach by scoring the next 21 straight points to take a commanding 38 point lead with 3:01 to play. Elmhurst closed out the game on a 8-7 run en route to the 85-46 win.
In the second half, Elmhurst shot 44.8 percent (13-of-29) while Marian struggled, hitting just 6-of-23 attempts (26.1 percent). For the game, the Bluejays shot 49.1 percent from the floor (28-of-57) and 58.8 percent from 3-point range (10-of-17). Marian was held to just 34 percent shooting (16-of-47) from the floor and 23.5 percent from 3-point range (4-of-17). The Bluejays controlled the glass, owning a 41-22 rebounding advantage, including a 13-4 edge on the offensive glass.
Elmhurst was led by Chris Martin’s (Eureka-H.S.) 20 points and seven rebounds. He also had a team-high four assists. Patchett finished with 11 points and Jay Brizzolara (Arlington Heights-Hersey) came off the bench to net 11 points and five rebounds. David Gershenzon (Glenview-Glenbrook South) added seven points in the win for the Bluejays.
Marian was led by Casey Wuest’s 13 points.
The Bluejays will host Carroll College (Wis.) in the championship game of the tournament tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. Carroll defeated Buffalo State College 90-54 in the first-round match-up. The consolation game between Buffalo State and Marian will begin at 2:00 p.m.