Trophy time, again, for Stevenson
It never gets old.
Despite two consecutive trips downstate and widespread expectations that a third is all but a formality, the Stevenson boys basketball team is always happy to accept some hardware.
Even if it isn't state finals-caliber hardware.
From their regional trophy last week to a sectional championship trophy on Friday, the Patriots hoot and holler each and every time they add to their collection.
Senior guard and captain Jalen Brunson let out a primal scream at Waukegan when he hoisted the trophy that he and his teammates earned by edging North Suburban Conference Lake Division rival Lake Forest, 57-49.
The top-seeded Patriots (27-3), who were up by as many as 13 points at the start of the fourth quarter but saw that lead dwindle to just 3 points with 41.7 seconds left, will now face Riverside-Brookfield at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Chicago State supersectional. The winner will punch a ticket to the state finals next weekend in Peoria.
Riverside-Brookfield defeated Morton 66-61 on Friday in the Morton sectional.
"Every game matters in the state playoffs," said Brunson, who poured in a team-high 25 points, which included four 3-pointers and an 8-for-8 performance at the free throw line in the fourth quarter. "You just don't know when it could be your last game, and this could have gone either way. So we're just really excited about this, and to get to play one more game."
Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose says that even with such lofty end-game goals in mind, his players have been able to stop and smell the roses at each and every milestone this season, particularly this one.
"Sectional games are so fun, in front of your friends…it's just fun to win, especially in an environment like this," Ambrose said, alluding to the sold-out, standing room only crowd in Waukegan's old-school gym. "Our kids do a great job of recognizing that. They're jumping around with the trophy. I think they really get joy out of each other and it was like that with some regular season wins, too. They make sure to enjoy all of their wins for what they're worth."
Sophomore forward Justin Smith put the exclamation point on the Patriots' latest win. He wound up with the ball as Lake Forest scrambled in the final seconds to find some miracle and threw down a thunderous dunk as time expired.
"That (dunk) felt good and set the tone for our celebration," said Smith, who finished with 17 points and was Stevenson's only other double-figure scorer. "They (Lake Forest) were coming back on us but in the huddle, the coaches and Jalen (Brunson) were just trying to keep us calm. We know that if we go out and play fast, we'll make mistakes. We just tried to stay with the game plan.
"They (Lake Forest) made a good run. But we held them off. We've been here before. We're experienced and we've been through this before. That added to our confidence."
Lake Forest, which closes its season at 27-3 with all three losses to Stevenson, gained some confidence of its own in the final minutes of the game as 6-foot-8 forward Evan Boudreaux, normally a beast in the paint, showed his range and hit three 3-pointers over about a two-minute span.
His third 3-pointer cut the Scouts' deficit to 50-45 with 1:36 to play. Then, two free throws by Boudreaux got Lake Forest to within 3 points (52-49) with 41.7 seconds remaining.
Boudreaux finished with a game-high 30 points. The Scouts also got double-figures out of junior forward Lorenzo Edwards. He had 14 points.
"It took patience to get back into this game," Lake Forest coach Phil LaScala said. "We ran some plays for Evan for threes, and that was huge. He hit a couple that were just unbelievable. He has a ton of confidence in himself and he plays with it.
"All of our guys were confident all night. They felt like we were in it the whole time. That's how they've been all year."