By Mike Helfgot
PEORIA -- There's no telling whether the comeback would have occurred if Tony Dunlap had had use of his left arm.
But there's no question the shoulder injury Dunlap suffered with 27.3 seconds remaining in the third quarter was the single biggest factor in the first game of the Class 1A boys state finals.
While Dunlap played with his left arm dangling uselessly at his side, Lanark Eastland scored just four points in the fourth quarter as Salt Fork rallied from a five-point deficit to record a 48-38 victory in the semifinals Friday at the Peoria Civic Center.
PEORIA -- There's no telling whether the comeback would have occurred if Tony Dunlap had had use of his left arm.
But there's no question the shoulder injury Dunlap suffered with 27.3 seconds remaining in the third quarter was the single biggest factor in the first game of the Class 1A boys state finals.
While Dunlap played with his left arm dangling uselessly at his side, Lanark Eastland scored just four points in the fourth quarter as Salt Fork rallied from a five-point deficit to record a 48-38 victory in the semifinals Friday at the Peoria Civic Center.
Joel Learnard had 20 points and 12 rebounds as Salt Fork won its 26th
in a row and earned a spot in Saturday's 2 p.m. state final opposite Sesser-Valier, a 58-40 winner over Madison in the other semifinal.
Dunlap had a game-high 22 points, including 19 of Lanark Eastland's 21 in the first half. He dislocated the shoulder and had surgery as an eighth-grader; the injury had not recurred.
Justin Matyi had 29 points and 15 rebounds and Dane Eubanks (15 points, seven rebounds) hit five 3-pointers for Sesser-Valier (26-9), which was making its first state-finals appearance.
Dunlap had a game-high 22 points, including 19 of Lanark Eastland's 21 in the first half. He dislocated the shoulder and had surgery as an eighth-grader; the injury had not recurred.
Justin Matyi had 29 points and 15 rebounds and Dane Eubanks (15 points, seven rebounds) hit five 3-pointers for Sesser-Valier (26-9), which was making its first state-finals appearance.
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