Boys basketball: Defending state champion DePaul ends Kaneland’s record-setting season

It’s been one heck of a season for Kaneland.

From setting a program-record in wins with 32, including 31 of them coming in a row, to winning its first sectional title since 1982, as well as clinching their third straight Interstate 8 Conference title, it’s been a season for the record books for the Knights.

But all good things must come to an end. And reigning Class 3A state champion DePaul Prep wanted to make sure of that in the Class 3A Hoffman Estates supersectional.

Kaneland saw its storybook season come to an end as it fell to DePaul Prep 68-28 at the NOW Arena on Monday.

“We’ve been working really hard all year, and sometimes you run into a team that’s really good, and all you can do is tip your cap to them,” Kaneland coach Ernie Colombe said. “It was a combination of us looking a little pressed, and then they were on fire, so it just snowballed early.

“We’re really proud of these guys for the season that they had and how hard they’ve worked. That’s not going away because of this game.”

The Rams put the pressure on the Knights early in the game, putting extreme focus on junior guard Marshawn Cocroft and senior forward Freddy Hassan throughout the majority of the first half.

“(Cocroft and Hassan) are outstanding players, and we wanted to make sure that they saw a man and a half,” DePaul Prep coach Tom Kleinschmidt said. “We wanted to make sure that they saw that early.”

That game plan put the Knights back on their heels early, as they went 5-for-20 from the floor in the first half, with sophomore Jeffrey Hassan (six points) being the only player with multiple makes from the floor at the halfway point.

“When we had the ball, there was always a defender on the help side keying in on our best players,” said Cocroft, who finished with six points and four assists. “They were more physical than us. I just feel like they were really ready for us, and we just didn’t match up.”

While Kaneland struggled to find the basket, DePaul Prep had no problem getting points on the board. The Rams finished the game shooting 75.6% (25-of-33) from the floor and already had a 43-12 lead heading into halftime.

“They hit shot after shot, and they just didn’t miss much,” Colombe said. “We haven’t had a team shoot like that all season.”

Despite the steep early deficit, Freddy Hassan left everything he could in his final high school basketball game, as he finished with 12 points and eight rebounds to lead the Knights.

“I knew their game plan was to focus on me and Marshawn. That didn’t change how we had to attack,” Hassan said. “We had to be aggressive and attack the basket and get them into foul trouble. That never really changed. We just wanted to play the whole time.”

The loss also brought an end to the high school careers of eight Kaneland seniors, including starters Hassan and Luke Reinart. But even with the rough ending, Hassan said it was a special way to end his career.

“I don’t think anyone could have predicted this,” Hassan said. “I’m just glad that the seniors and the whole team could leave an impact on younger kids to come out and work hard so that they can be where we are or even further in the future.”

The Knights will have three starters (Cocroft, Jeffrey Hassan and Evan Frieders) coming back next season, as well as St. Francis transfer Jalen Carter joining the mix, as the team will hope to make its first state appearance since 1982.

“This is probably my favorite season ever playing high school basketball,” Cocroft said. “Even though we didn’t get the goal we wanted, we still had a great season. We have to keep our heads up and get ready for next season.”