Boys basketball: Warren routs Young, reaches Big Dipper championship game
One of the big stories surrounding this holiday hoops season's tourney action was the move that two-time reigning Proviso West winner Warren made.
Instead of seeking a possible three-peat there, the Blue Devils moved to the 52-year-old Big Dipper Classic at Rich Township High School's Richton Park campus.
It was a move that for Blue Devils coach Zack Ryan has paid great dividends as Warren earned a semifinal berth Monday evening against Chicago Whitney Young with wins over Thornton Fractional South and one of Arkansas' top prep teams Marion High.
"It's a very competitive tournament. We knew that going in and for us to get to this point we're excited to be here playing," Ryan said.
The excitement will continue for Warren as it earned a berth in Tuesday's final with a dominant 71-50 victory over the Dolphins in front of a packed house at Rich's main gym.
As a result, Warren will make the 90-minute trip back to Rich Township to face another top squad from the Chicago Public League, Kenwood Academy.
The Broncos (10-1) bested another CPL team in Lincoln Park (11-2) 62-50 in Monday's first semifinal.
"It's really fun playing out here and showing what we're about," Blue Devil junior guard Jaxson Davis said.
Warren used a 12-2 run over the final 3:21 of the first quarter to obtain control of the contest. A half-court horn beating three by Davis put them ahead 21-9.
Young (10-6) would get no closer than 24-15 on a Caden Crudup free throw with 5:27 remaining in the first half. Another Blue Devils (10-5) surge followed and had them up 34-20 at the break, and all engines were set on automatic pilot for the remainder of the evening as the lead got as high as 68-41 inside of the game's final two minutes.
Davis' game-high 25 points also featured eight rebounds.
His senior teammate Braylon Walker added 16 and 7 boards.
Senior guard Marquis Clark led Young with 22 points as it struggled from the floor going just 16 for 55 (29%) while Warren shot 28-56 (50%).