Warren’s too much for Hersey
They’re tall, talented, long-armed on defense and quick off the floor to hit the boards.
Open looks? They bury them. Volleyball? They play it on the offensive glass. Driven? They’re a reflection of their coach’s intensity.
They’re the Warren Blue Devils, and they’re 27-3 after a 65-49 win Friday night over a game but outmatched Hersey squad with the Wheeling Class 4A regional title at stake. Warren moves into the Barrington sectional and will face Fremd (19-9) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
With six players 6-foot-5 or better, five of whom are underclassmen, expect to see more of this type of performance from the Blue Devils. But when it came down it, there was no secret to their success.
“Just played hard,” said junior forward Jeremiah Jackson, whose 21 points led everybody. “I wanted to win.”
When you’re ranked No. 4 in the state in Class 4A, that becomes habit-forming.
Against a rare zone defense employed by Hersey (16-12), “All we did was just be patient,” said Jackson, who had 14 of his 21 in the fourth quarter when Warren finished off the Huskies with press-breaking layups and breakaway baskets as the Hersey sent everyone to the offensive boards.
But it was a much-needed third-quarter spurt that provided the ultimate difference. Hersey had used its quickness to close within 40-33 after trailing by double digits most of the way. Connor Miklasz (20 points) and Trevor Haas both had 5 points in the period, and each had one of Hersey’s 11 3-pointers as the Huskies briefly got the athletic Blue Devils on their heels with an aggressive attack.
“We just wanted to outwork them,” said Miklasz after his last game as a Huskie.
“We didn’t get as good a defensive transition,” said Warren coach Chuck Ramsey as Hersey ran with the athletic Devils. And the Blue Devils cooled off, too.
“We were missing, they were hitting some shots,” Ramsey said after his team skidded a bit following a torrid shooting pace early in the game.
But after a timeout, Warren responded with 9 straight to close the period on point guard Brandon Ferguson’s free throws, his 3-pointer over Hersey’s 2-1-2 zone and yet another breakway hoop. Darius Paul sandwiched a breakaway off a steal in there for a hoop.
But somewhat surprisingly, Hersey wanted to run with Warren and at times made the Devils look a blue mess.
“Definitely,” said coach Steve Messer, who was as proud of his kids’ effort as he was stunned by their free throw shooting (2-for-16) and rare poor decision-making in shot selection at the end of the first and second quarters that enabled momentum and extra possessions for Warren.
As for Miklasz, who directed Hersey’s attack and led it in scoring too, he’ll be difficult to replace.
“He’s a great competitor,” said Messer after Miklasz’s performance, which included 6 3-pointers.