Coming off the bench suits Larkin’s Armani Ivy just fine. Especially against Elgin. ‘The best thing for me.’

Most players prefer to be in the starting lineup.

Larkin’s Armani Ivy is taking a different route this season, but it not only doesn’t bother him, he actually prefers to see how the game is going before he joins the fray.

“I don’t mind not starting,” Ivy said. “I feel like coming off the bench is the best thing for me. I can see the game better on the bench than actually playing.

“I can see the flow of the game before I get out there. It’s better for me to come out and help my team like that.”

The important thing? Ivy is on the court at the end of the game, and the senior forward was critical down the stretch Friday night against crosstown rival Elgin.

The Maroons stormed back to cut Larkin’s lead to two in the final minute. Ivy grabbed a key rebound and was fouled, calmly hitting both free throws with 10 seconds left to help the Royals hold off Elgin for a 55-49 Upstate Eight Conference win.

“When I got to the line, I thought I had to put them to sleep,” Ivy said. “That’s what I did. I just had to. It was like a mandatory thing.”

Ivy is one of the few current Royals who played a prominent role on last season’s sectional championship team. Larkin coach Deryn Carter said that experience has helped.

“I’d like to think it showed him how to win,” Carter said. “It’s taking him some adjustments, just like our whole team, but he’s where he needs to be right now.

“He just has to get better over the next few weeks, and we can be a tough out in the playoffs.”

Larkin (13-14, 10-5) took a 40-19 lead on Ivy’s 3-pointer in the third quarter, but Elgin (9-16, 2-12) fought back.

The Maroons went on a 14-1 run in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to 51-49 with 32 seconds left on a 3-pointer from Maddox Hollian.

Hollian scored seven points in the fourth and Angel Nunez hit three 3-pointers in the quarter.

“I just told them, this game could make the change for the program,” Elgin coach Brett Johnson said. “They wanted it. I challenged them at halftime. I said, ‘I don’t know if you can win this game because you don’t want it.’

“They went out there, took it to heart and did everything well. We beat Larkin in three quarters. We just had a really bad second quarter. It’s a learning experience for these kids.”

Hollian led Elgin with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Nunez added 12 points.

Larkin outscored Elgin 23-5 in the second quarter to take a 33-14 lead. The Royals had to hang on down the stretch to secure the win, though.

“We survived,” Carter said. “There’s no such thing as an ugly win in this rivalry, so we’ll take it.

“We would have liked to have won the game more comfortably, but that’s being greedy in a rivalry.”

Jakob Blakley led Larkin with 15 points. Ivy added 12, while Adrian Colen-York had 11 and Darnell Wilder chipped in with 10.

Ivy’s experience in big games from last season provides a boost, but he knows his younger teammates have to actually experience those moments to improve.

“It’s like a bedtime story,” Ivy said. “You want to say things, but you can’t really tell them how it is. They have to see it for themselves.”

That’s the big takeaway Ivy had from playing on last season’s historic team.

“Being part of last year was really special,” Ivy said. “That was a really, really special team. Winning for this team is the same expectation for me because I’ve been a part of it.”

Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.