The pursuit continues for Brunson, Stevenson
There will be bigger baskets needed by Jalen Brunson and all of his teammates as the game progresses on Chicago's South Side, but Pat Ambrose jokingly came up with a creative way for his four-year starting point guard to get his history-making point out of the way.
"Knowing him, he'll probably pass the ball and it will get tipped (by the opponent) into the basket," Stevenson's coach said with a laugh. "He's scored in every other way. So why not do something way off the charts?"
Brunson enters tonight's Class 4A supersectional game against Riverside-Brookfield at Chicago State University with 2,618 career points. Milik Yarbrough graduated from Zion-Benton last year with a Lake County-record 2,621 points.
"He's aware of (the record)," Ambrose said of Brunson. "But he doesn't say much about it. He doesn't say anything to me."
Perhaps at the end of the season, the Patriots can look back and cherish all that Brunson has accomplished on and off the court. For now, however, the focus for every Patriot, including Brunson, remains on the team.
Stevenson (27-3) and Riverside-Brookfield (28-3) tip off at 7 p.m., with the winner advancing to Friday's 6:30 p.m. state semifinal at Peoria's Civic Center against the winner of tonight's Hinsdale Central supersectional between West Aurora and Bolingbrook.
Riverside-Brookfield won the Morton sectional final by beating the host school 66-61. Daniko Jackson led Riverside-Brookfield with 17 points and 6 assists, while Jalen Clanton added 15 points. Mark Smith had 14 points, and Sam Johnson racked up 12 points and 11 assists.
Ambrose has seen Riverside-Brookfield play twice. He saw Lake Forest beat the Bulldogs at York's Christmas tournament and more recently checked out Riverside-Brookfield's game against St. Charles East.
"They got a lot of balance," Ambrose said. "They got some shooters, some inside guys, some midrange guys. They can put the ball in the hole. We're going to have to defend and make sure that we get back (on defense) because they like to run."
With Brunson, Connor Cashaw and Justin Smith, who scored 17 points in Stevenson's 57-49, sectional final win over Lake Forest at Waukegan, the Patriots can score too. Brunson netted 25 points, as the Patriots won their third sectional title in a row.
"They're going to get points," Ambrose said of the R-B's Bulldogs. "But I think we got to make them earn it."
Stevenson is seeking its third trip in a row downstate. The Patriots finished second two years and third last season.
"I think this team," Ambrose said, "could arguably be the best Lake County basketball team ever."