Rockford Christian guards star one last time together in Rising Stars with retiring coach

Elijah Daugherty and Christian Cummings often looked like the two best players on the floor Saturday night.

Isaiah Johnson watched from the bench as the All-Area Boys scored a rare 110-107 win over the NIC-10 in the annual Rising Stars Classic.Why now? Why in a senior boys basketball all-star game at Rock Valley College but not in the regional finals against Winnebago when things really counted?Except Daugherty, Cummings and Johnson dont see it that way.

They just enjoyed one last basketball game together.It felt amazing being out there and being able to showcase myself one last time in a Rockford Christian jersey, said Daugherty, who scored 30 points to earn game MVP honors.More: Another milestone as Elijah Daugherty becomes Rockford Christian's 2nd 2,000-point scorerDaugherty had only eight points in a season-ending 57-50 loss in the regional finals to a Winnebago team that finished the season with a losing record.

Rockford Christian was 16-0 when Daugherty hurt his wrist in Pecatonicas MLK tourney and then went 7-8 the rest of the year including 1-4 after Cummings also hurt his hand in a win over Byron.We could have been playing longer, said Johnson, who is retiring after 11 seasons as Rockford Christian coach, but worked one last game as the Area Boys assistant under Bobby Heisler on Saturday.

We had the talent to be playing longer.

But basketball in March, you never know what happens.Cummings scored 31 in that loss to Winnebago, so his injury didnt slow him.

Daugherty, who missed several games when he was first hurt, didnt blame his injury either.I am not going to blame it on that, Daugherty said.

We lost and I played bad.

It was just one of those things.It wasnt what Rockford Christian had grown used to.

And not just that game.

The whole second half of the season.

The two 5-10 guards are the only teammates in Illinois history who both scored 2,000 points in high school.

They led the Royal Lions to 98 wins in their four seasons.

For three and a half years, they had looked the way they did Saturday night, when Daugherty scored 30 points and Cummings was second on the team with 17.

Pecatonicas Brody Black added 15 and South Beloit All-Stater Ross Robertson 14.I love to see him play, Cummings said of Daugherty.

His 30-ball tonight was nothing new.

Its what he does.On this journey, we came in knowing we were going to dominate together.

Being able to have him by my side to do so one last time was amazing.

Its always amazing playing with my brother, my dog, Elijah.

Were a duo.

And to have our coach by our side, I am very grateful.More: The best of the best: Pecatonica's Elaina Rager stands out in star-studded Rising StarsThe All-Area Boys seemed in total control after a 17-0 run put them ahead 81-68.

But Easts Sterling Hoarde (30 points) and Guilfords Jaden Webster (18) hit back-to-back late 3s and Webster heaved in a basket from three-quarters court after the NIC-10 called timeout with one second left.I was shocked it went in, but I knew it wouldnt count, Webster said.

I held it for too long.

There wasnt enough time.

But if it did count, that would have been crazy.Instead, Elijah Daugherty and Christian Cummings went out as the high-scoring, winning duo they had been their entire careers at Rockford Christian, helping the All-Area boys to only their eighth win against 19 losses vs.

the NIC-10.Christian is definitely my brother, Daugherty said.

I knew from the start we were going to dominate together.

And we went out with a splash.

Both of us played great tonight.Matt Trowbridge is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter.

Email him at [email protected].

Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @MattTrowbridge.This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: All-Area Boys beat NIC-10 110-107 in Rising Stars behind Royal Lions.

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