No one wanted to say it out loud but the DePaul Prep Rams came into the 2A state final game the favorite. Their defense throttled previous playoff opponents. The leadership of Maurice Thomas, the can-do-everything play of the PJ Chambers, the in-the-paint dominance of Jaylan McElroy, the scoring of Payton Kaymin and the point guard skills advanced beyond his tender years of Makai Kvamme would be tough to overcome. With defense and free throw shooting, sprinkle in some three pointers and the occasional dunk or layup off turnovers, and no team beats Tom Kleinschmidt’s DePaul Prep Rams.
Even so, this game was by no means a done deal for DePaul. The Rams were favored to win last year too but didn’t. Bloomington Central Catholic’s standout junior forward Cole Certa and his supporting cast had beaten plenty of good teams. Certa, one of the top-rated players in the state, just might put together a huge game and with some contributions from his saintly brethren, the Rams might well be beaten.
Nevertheless, the Rams (23-12, 6-7) won the IHSA 2A state championship in convincing fashion with a 65-41 defeat the of the Bloomington Central Catholic Saints (26-12, 6-3) Saturday in Champaign.
The Rams jumped out to a 12-8 lead holding Certa to just three points in the opening frame. The Rams didn’t exactly light up the arena with their typically modest twelve points but encouraging signs were present. The Rams did not turn the ball over and spread the ball around. Four of the five starters scored. They were able the score inside and outside.
During the convincing playoff run, no game every being in doubt. It wasn’t always that way this season. Coming into the season, the Rams posted a second third-place state finish in three many years, plus having won a number 1 ranking after winning the Chipotle Championship in COVID year. The Rams were expected to compete for a title in a tough Chicago Catholic League Blue. The early season injuries to junior standouts Jaylan McElroy and Payton Kamin crippled the Rams chances in the CCL Blue.
The opening season victories at the Battle of the Bridge, including a title game victory over Notre Dame l, gave way to four straight losses in the Chicago Catholic League Blue, a demoralizing start to the season.
Coach Kleinschmidt and his team refocused. They would use this time to play the younger players. Sophmore forward Jonas Johnson and guard Rob Walls benefited from minutes and talented opponents that they would not have otherwise seen so much of.
Butit’s not like the Rams had a bad season. They put together a win against IHSA 3A third-place finisher and rival St. Ignatius. And a nice win against Marmion who had its best season in decades. Telling though, was the close four-point loss to second-place 4A finisher Benet. This was a a harbinger. At full strength, the Rams are very good.
“If we got healthy, we knew we had the team. We thought we were one of the better teams in the state, no matter what class. We just played Benet two weeks ago. It was a four-point game. Payton and Jaylan, as well as they played, still aren’t at their best,” said DePaul Prep head coach Tom Kleinschmidt.
“We never doubted it. We had two injuries but we never let that get to us. We kept our heads high. We kept fighting,” said junior forward Jaylon McElroy.
“During our losing streak, we were trying to focus on our goals. We knew we wanted to win state but the first the task at hand was the Catholic League. It was all just trusting the process, trusting in the team and each other,” said junior guard PJ Chambers.
“I never lost hope. I knew the team we had and I knew we were capable of winning it,” said sophomore point guard Makai Kvamme.
“We all showed Kai how to lead in terms of setting the offense. As far as everyone else, we all kind of learned everything together and throughout time, we got better at it,” said Maurice Thomas.
The Rams headed into the halftime with a 16-11 lead. Not overwhelming but encouraging to have held Cole Certa, one of the best players in the state, to 8 points in the half.
Kleinschmidt must have given his players a talking-to about scoring in the locker room. The Rams put it on ‘em in the third, in the third with a 14-5 run, lead by PJ Chambers with six points. The Rams held a 42-24 lead to open the fourth.
That’s pretty much over when facing a Tom Kleinschmidt team. The Rams simply do not lose a lead. More than eight, never. They shut out Teutopolis in the fourth quarter of the semi-final.
But Bloomington Central Catholic never gave up. The fourth quarter had a lot of fouls and a lot of foul shots.
The fourth went in topical fashion the Rams were fouled and the Rams made their foul shots but not before all the Rams got in the game including Miles Stewart, Henry West, Will O’Shields, Jack Hoste, Dane Barkley, Cole Jungwirth, Jack Kenessey and Rashaun Porter.
“We shoot a lot of free throws. I shoot a lot of free throws with my dad. We also shoot a lot as a team. At the gym, we start off with free throws. In between water breaks, we shoot free throws. Then another water break, we shoot free throws. And at the end of practice, we shoot free throws. We shoot a lot of free throws,” said Maurice Thomas who finished 11 of 13 from the line.
On a personal note, I would like to thank the team and the coaches for winning the state championship. I had a great time connecting with my son Dan who played on the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 varsity teams and reconnecting with his pals, particularly Greyson Sanchez, who at one point was a manager. I loved every minute of the weekend in Champaign. I apologize for being more of a fan than a professional photographer. I confess I was concentrating more on a Rams victory than making good photos.
On to baseball season now. Go Rams!
