After leading by as many as 18 points in the second half, Franklin closed the gap to only one at 50-49 with 5:49 remaining after Alan Davidson made three straight free throws. North Central responded with four free throws from sophomore Daniel Walton (Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North) and a big three-pointer from senior Daniel Doyle (Wheaton, Ill./Glenbard West) that stretched the lead back out to eight at 57-49 with under three minutes remaining. The Cardinals, or rather junior Ray Vicario (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg), then iced the game with 9-for-10 free-throw shooting down the stretch. Vicario would finish with 12 points and five assists.
Sophomore Adam Krumtinger (Towanda, Ill./Normal Community) led the Cardinals with 22 points and 11 rebounds and was named the Tournament MVP. Walton was also named all-tournament after finishing with 12 points and 10 boards.
Franklin was led by Davidson's 24 points. Justin Brown chipped in 12 points.
In the first half, North Central trailed 19-11 after a jumper by Davidson with 7:35 remaining in the half. However, junior Jeff Larson (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) came off the bench and sparked a 21-5 run with clutch outside shooting. His first three-pointer drew the Cardinals to 21-20 with 4:21 to play. After a Vicario three-pointer and a Walton jumper, Larson drilled his second trey to give NCC a 28-21 lead. The Cardinals ended the half with a 32-24 advantage. Krumtinger had 15 points and nine rebounds at the break.