LINCOLN — Elgin Public-Pope John saw their dreams of a state championship dashed Monday, losing to Burwell in the opening round of the Class D1 State Basketball Tournament.
Behind 35 points by Dillon Critel, the Longhorns outlasted the Wolfpack 65 to 58 in a battle of two evenly-matched teams.
“I was very proud of their effort.” EPPJ Coach Michael Becker said about the Wolfpack after the tough loss. “I’m very proud of what they accomplished this year…Obviously, it’s going to hurt and it should because they invested a lot of time and that shows with some of the outcomes that we were able to have this year.”
Neither team was able to gain an advantage for the first three quarters as the Longhorns squeezed out a 49 to 46 lead. Critel, using every acrobatic move he could muster towards the basket, had 26 points heading into the fourth quarter. But in the final eight minutes, he found a way to keep his team ahead of the Wolfpack – making nine of 10 free throws. For the complete story turn to this weeks Elgin Review.
