Schaumburg seniors display winning mentality
Javon McDonald's last act in a Schaumburg uniform was one of selflessness and confidence in one of his teammates with a Class 4A boys basketball sectional championship at stake.
Mark Bielanski's final act was one of courage, conviction and composure amid the bedlam of a packed house in New Trier's wonderful old gym in Winnetka.
The two seniors could have easily been starting a celebration with teammates, coaches, family and friends Friday night. Instead, it was Niles North clutching a sectional plaque for the first time in history and cutting down the nets after a 53-52 victory.
And McDonald and Schaumburg coach Matt Walsh reacted quickly to let Bielanski know he had just given them his best shot to advance to the Waukegan supersectional.
"I thought it was a really unselfish play by Javon to push the ball ahead," Walsh said of McDonald's pass after Christian Spandiary rebounded a missed free throw. "Mark made a great shot fake and got an open look.
"That's a shot he takes 100 times throughout the week and that one just didn't go in. I'd put him in that situation again."
So would McDonald even though Bielanski, who is usually setting up teammates and playing scrappy defense, had already doubled his average with his 3 at the halftime buzzer.
"It's been a good two years with him and we push each other and guard each other in practice," McDonald said with his typical grace and class. "Even when he wasn't starting he was still motivating the entire team and still there supporting everyone. He's a great person."
And McDonald and Bielanski, along with seniors Kurt Kempema, Roger Lane and Elliot Rieves, were part of two excellent postseason runs that ended in sectional championship games. A year ago the Saxons were simply up against odds too great in Mr. Basketball Jereme Richmond and Waukegan on its home floor.
The Saxons faced another stud this time in Niles North's Abdel Nader, who can make even the best defense look defenseless. But Kempema, Spandiary, Mike Mallett and sophomore Kyle Bolger took turns forcing Nader to work for his 23 points on 25 shots.
"What do you do?" McDonald said of a pair of tough second-half 3s Nader hit with Kempema right in his grill.
Schaumburg did what it's always done in its first two years under Walsh. Continue to battle.
"I love coach," said McDonald, who transferred from Elgin Academy after his sophomore year so he could play in games like this. "He's probably the best one I know at getting through adversity."
It showed when Schaumburg had a chance to just fade away after Niles North took a 53-49 lead with 19 seconds left. Instead, sophomore Jimmy Lundquist, who is part of the program's bright future, confidently nailed a 3 to give his senior teammates one more shot at one more game.
"They're something special," Walsh said of this group of seniors. "All five of them are great kids. They're winners."
It showed even in the toughest of losses.
mmaciaszek@dailyherald.com