SOUTHWORDS
April 1979

In case you haven't heard ...
We Are No. 1, Hey; We Are No. 1, Hey!

by Scott

   After the celebration had quieted down at McGaw Hall on Tuesday, March 20, everybody realized that the Hawk basketball team was actually going too play De La Salle of Chicago at the state championships in Champaign. When game time came around it was no wonder that the Hawks were ready to win.
   Elite Eight
   The first quarter started out poorly. Chris had two fouls within the first few minutes. But at 5:32, Jay made a fast break lay-up turning the game in South's favor. The quarter ended with South leading 8-7.
   During the second quarter, the only action completed was the gathering of 4 points by each team. Maine South dominated the quarter by stalling five minutes.
   The third quarter was more exciting. De La Salle came out totally frustrated by South's stall. They covered each man but South would either shoot from the outside or continue to stall. De La Salle attempted to cover the zones, but South just passed the ball under the basket or drove straight down court for a lay-up.

   By the end of the third quarter, South had pulled ahead of De La Salle by 7 points. The score was 24-17.
   At the start of the fourth quarter, De La Salle controlled the tip-off and immediately dunked the basket. De La Salle's Burich managed to put in another basket before South broke loose. The Hawks dominated the remainder of the fourth quarter and the game ended 37-27 with the Hawks going on to the semifinals.

   Semi-Finals
    After handling De La Salle, the Hawks fans thought the East Moline game would be be an easy victory. But the East Moline team gave the Hawks their only very close game down state.
    But during the first quarter it seemed as though South was going to steal the game. At 1:33 South was up 21-9 and it looked as if the game was just about over for East Moline. But by the end of the quarter, they had moved to within 5 points.
   The second quarter was neck and neck from beginning to end. The quarter was plagued by fouls, but at the same time, quite a few excellent jump shots connected. At the end of the first half the score was Maine South 36 and East Moline 34.
   The first half of the third quarter was filled with even playing. But as the quarter progressed the Hawks lost their narrow lead, and East Moline capitalized on the Hawks mistakes. At the end of the third quarter, East Moline was up 64-56 and the fans started to worry.
   But the Hawks, never conceding to defeat, came back for the fourth quarter intent on winning. And they did come back. By 2:57 they tied it up at 68.
   With thirty seconds left, Carmichael of East Moline fouled John. John stood at the line and as usual, sunk both shots. East Moline almost immediately called a time out. They came back and tried to score but found the Hawk defense to be too tough. With :14 left, forward Troy dumped a four foot turn around jumper to tie the score at 70. The quarter ran out and the Hawks were into overtime.
   The overtime was even up until :56 when Jay put in two free throws and at :23 Theodore did the same. The score was 77-74 in favor of South. East Moline tried to make a comback, and at :03 Carmichael dumped an eight-foot jumper to make it 77-76. Maine South and the Hawks went on to win.

The finals
    Now came the game of all games. The Hawks were in the final game of the championships. But the opponents were ranked number one in the state all season long. Everyone knew that if the Hawks ever played Quincy, it would probably be the toughest game of the season.
    The first quarter started out with the Hawks in the lead by two points. It remained a close battle with the Hawks up during the first half and the Blue Devils were in the lead the second half. By the end of the quarter the Blue Devils were up 22-21.
   At the start of the second quarter the Hawks came back with one thought in mind. They wanted to win. And win they did. During the remainder of the game, the Hawks drove hard, hit from the inside and the outside. They capitalized off of Quincy's sloppy mistakes and dominated the remainder of the game. By the end of the game the Hawks had a 16 point lead and the final score was 83-67 in one of the best ball games the Hawks had ever played.