URBANA — For one half of Friday night's boys' basketball showdown between Bloomington and Urbana, the Tigers hung tough with the Class 4A No. 8 Purple Raiders. Then, Chris Payton found his stroke and turned his team's eight-point halftime lead into a rout.
The 6-foot-6 junior soared to 14 points in the third quarter alone as Bloomington gained revenge for its lone Big 12 Conference loss last season, upending Urbana 96-73 at Oscar Adams Gymnasium in front of representatives from the Illinois men's hoops team.
"We usually step it up in the second half. I don't know what gets into us," said Payton, who finished with 19 points on the night and holds an offer from Brad Underwood's Illini.