Paul stands tall as Warren tops Schaumburg
PONTIAC - Nearly two decades in the making, Warren finally solved the riddle of mastering the intricacies of the historic Pontiac Holiday Tournament.
After two misses against Chicago Public League powerhouse Simeon in recent years, the Blue Devils' boys basketball team ascended to the mountaintop of arguably the most prestigious tournament with a 74-63 championship victory over previously undefeated Schaumburg on Saturday night.
In snapping the Saxons' season-opening 13-game winning streak, Warren improved to 10-1.
As he has throughout his sterling varsity career, Illinois-bound guard Brandon Paul was the center of the Devils' universe. Paul scored 20 of his game-high 31 points in the second half - including 13 in the fourth quarter.
In an electrifying sequence early in the final eight minutes, Paul scored 8 consecutive team points, including back-to-back dunks.
The consecutive throwdowns by the consensus top-rated senior in the state were part of a personal run in which Paul produced 15 of the Devils' 21 points.
"I was settling for too many (3-point attempts in the previous two games)," Paul said. "I wanted to get to the basket more. We just worked hard and got the job done."
Not even the equally impressive performance by Schaumburg southpaw Cully Payne denied the Devils their due.
Payne willed the Saxons with his unrelenting style - part frenetic, also freelancing - that propelled Schaumburg to a 35-34 lead at the intermission.
But his 25-point performance would be for naught.
"We went toe to toe with them," said Schaumburg coach Bob Williams. "(Paul) had quite a personal run of their points. I felt like the kids had the mentality of getting away without playing good defense. We gave up 75 against Manual and still won, and they thought they could continue doing that."
If Paul was the master planner, Jake Anderson was the Devils' blue-collar conductor of operations.
Anderson (17 points) and James Poliquin (11) joined Paul in double figures, but their well-defined roles produced all the requisite images of the Devils' ascension: the blocked shots, the diving-on-the-floor for loose balls and inside points at critical junctures.
Paul and Anderson, with Schaumburg on the ropes but continuing to flail away, produced buckets to give Warren a 71-61 lead.
And when Paul, with Payne, whose magnificent play was all the more remarkable considering the Alabama recruit was suffering from back spasms, swatted a valiant Payne offering in the final two minutes, the Devils' play was symbolically crowned.
Warren, which outlasted Curie in overtime to reach the title game, has been coming to the tournament since 1990. The early years were marked by heartache, and the squad did not even make a semifinal appearance until 2004.
But the Devils have been a fixture in the championship bracket ever since a then-sophomore named Derrick Rose ruined their inaugural appearance in the final four.
"Nineteen years and some close calls," said Warren coach Chuck Ramsey. "This was just a great job by our kids."
Ramsey marveled at the high-level play of the teams' respective stars.
"Sometimes you can play perfectly good defense and [Payne] can still get the ball in the basket but we have a guy like that, too," Ramsey said.