Box Score

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – St. Thomas used a 12-0 run midway through the second half to pull in front and then converted 11 of 15 free throws in the final 2:10 Saturday to hold off Augustana by a score of 86-76 and deny the Vikings a return trip to the final four. Coach Grey Giovanine's crew ends a remarkable season with a record of 29-2, while the Tommies move on to Salem, Virginia at 28-3.
 
Freshman Chrishawn Orange (Jacobs HS, Algonquin, Ill.) scored with 10:56 to play to tie the contest at 58-all, but St. Thomas' Jimmy Remke hit a three-pointer that sparked a 12-0 run for the Tommies. When Ryan Saarela hit two free throws with 6:06 left, the visitors led 70-58.
 
Hunter Hill (Byron HS, Byron, Ill.) drilled three straight three-pointers to get Augustana within six (73-67) at the 4:56 mark. The Vikings eventually got as close as five (76-71) on a Tayvian Johnson (United Township HS, East Moline, Ill.) field goal with 1:21 to play and again (81-76) on two Johnson free throws with 39 seconds on the clock. However, those would be the last points for the hosts and St. Thomas hit five of six free throws in the final 30 seconds to ice the win.
 
The Vikings led for most of the first eight minutes, but the Tommies used a 13-0 run to take a 24-13 lead with nine minutes left. Griffin Pils (Libertyville HS, Libertyville, Ill.) answered with seven of Augustana's next nine points and a Brandon Motzel (Carmel HS, Buffalo Grove, Ill.) bucket completed an 11-0 run by the hosts that drew them even at 24-all.
 
Orange scored eight points in a three-and-a-half minute stretch and his second three-pointer of the half gave the Vikings their biggest lead of the night, 39-32 with 12 seconds left in the half. However, Shaeffer came through with a pivotal play, throwing in a circus shot and drawing a foul 1.3 seconds before halftime. He converted the three-point play to pull St. Thomas to within 39-35 at the break.
 
The first half of the second stanza was nip-and-tuck, with Orange's hoop at 10:56 accounting for the fourth tie of the period and eighth of the game.
 
Hill led Augustana with 21 points, knocking down five of 11 three-pointers. He also finished with a game-high five assists and no turnovers. Pils and Orange each scored 10. Ben Ryan (Washington HS, Washington, Ill.) finished with eight points and 10 rebounds and Johnson nine and six, respectively. Motzel had six points and seven rebounds and game highs of three blocks and three steals. Shaeffer scored a game-high 24 to lead five Tommies in double figures. Saarela added 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
 
For the game, the Vikings shot .446 on 29 of 65 from the floor. They connected on 10 of 22 (.455) three-point attempts, but just eight of 14 (.571) from the free throw line. St. Thomas was 26 of 55 (.473) from the floor, eight of 14 (.571) from long range and 26 of 34 (.765) at the foul line and won the battle of the boards by a 41-31 margin. Augustana committed seven turnovers to 13 for the Tommies.
 
Saturday's game brought to a close the careers of Hill, Ryan, Motzel, Jawan Straughter (Plainfield East HS, Bolingbrook, Ill.), Pils, Johnson, Jake Gylten (Iowa City West HS, North Liberty, Ill.) and Jake Norcia (Highland Park HS, Highland Park, Ill.), a senior class that led the program to a 95-23 record, two CCIW regular season and two conference tournament titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances, including last year's second-place finish.