Peoria Manual (7-2) 71, North Lawndale (3-1) 70

STAR OF THE GAME

JULIAN WASHINGTON, Peoria Manual

Washington scored 13 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter to keep Manual afloat, then sank a 10-foot, double-clutch game-winning shot with 2.0 seconds left.

BY THE NUMBERS

The victory avenged Manual's 56-42 loss to North Lawndale in last year's Class 2A state title game. ... Manual had an 18-point lead with 5:12 to play in the third quarter, but it was down to two by the end of the period. ... When the Rams weren't busy turning the ball over (23 times), they were effective on offense, shooting 58.5 percent. ... PARIS GULLEY scored a game-high 22 points for Manual, including 17 in the first half. ... Backcourt mate C.J. MARCH had 20 points. ... TERRY JOHNSON scored 15 for North Lawndale. Senior standout JONATHAN MILLS was limited to eight points and 13 rebounds. ... The Phoenix shot 16 of 32 at the foul line. ... North Lawndale's 6-foot-11 center, junior Paul Bunch, is academically ineligible and did not play.

WHAT WAS SAID

— Peoria Manual coach DERRICK BOOTH: "That's a big win for us. I know it's just a regular season game, but for our confidence and how far we've come since the beginning of the season, I was proud of our guys."

— JULIAN WASHINGTON on the final play: "The ball was supposed to go to Gulley, and they ended up keying on him. I was open, so I just went to the hole hard to get to the rim."