DePaul Prep Defeats St. Ignatius to Win 3A Sectional

It didn’t look good for the Rams midway through the first set when they were down 18-12. Then, slowly at first, they cut the margin to 22-17. Then the Rams charged back outscoring the Wolfpack 7-1, taking the first set 25-23.

The second set saw the more typical Rams play—steady building a lead. They took the Wolfpack 25-16 in the second set and the match. A 3A Sectional final match and advance to the Super-sectional on Monday. One game away from the State Tournament.

The Wolfpack are an excellent volleyball team. Every bit the equal of the Rams. Ignatius returned most of their team from last’s 3A third-place finishers. It was the Wolfpack that ended the Rams’ season last year in the Sectional semi-final. The Rams have been working toward this win all year. Even so, the Wolfpack seemed a little shellshocked by the Rams’ first set comeback.

The did not get down; they came back and won. This just might be the Rams’ year. The Rams have a remarkable 36-3 record this year. But one the three losses came at St. Laurence on October 3rd in three sets.

St. Laurence is next. The Super-sectional is Monday evening at Hinsdale South high school. With the St. Ignatius defeat avenged, there is another defeat to take care of on Monday.

As for the photos, I went a little crazy. I shot 2987 photos. I picked out 109 to process. I ended up only working up 40. I wanted to get as many as I could knowing this would be a historic game between two of the top teams in the state.

The light is always challenging in the Gentile Gym. Very yellow non-LED lights. I spoke to St. Ignatius AD Mike Hurley about it. I told him that he could not be outdone by DePaul Prep AD Pat Mahoney who just bought new LED lights for the Tom Winiecki Gym which will be installed before the basketball season. Hurley smiled and said nothing about getting new lights. My personal crusade to improve the lights in Catholic Leagues gyms still has a way to go.

I hope you like the photos.

DePaul Prep Defeats St. Ignatius 57-40

Preview of my story this week in the Inside—Booster.

By Jack Lydon

The #8 ranked DePaul Prep Rams went into St. Ignatius and did what they do—play defense. The Rams held the Wolfpack to just four points in the first half and finished with a 57-40 victory over St. Ignatius. Improving their overall record to 24-2, this game also moved the Rams closer to winning the Chicago Catholic League Blue Division champion where the Rams are 5-0 with three conference games still to play.

The atmosphere in St. Ignatius Gentile Gym was electric. The gym was full. The game was on TV. A cohort of toga wearing St. Ignatius students heckled the Rams as the warmed up. The beach attired DePaul Prep students heckled the Wolfpack as they warmed up. Parents, teachers and even a former Chicago mayor filled the stands.  

Such is the stuff of a rivalry game. The Rams have three wins and two losses to St. Ignatius in the last four years. Both teams have been in the state finals the last two years. This is a proper rivalry game. Either team could win.

“It’s a rivalry game. They are well coached. They’ve got great players. This is one of the hardest places to play in the League. And we know them. They know us,” said DePaul Prep’s Tom Kleinschmidt.

“We were ready to guard. We talk about guarding. It’s hard to prepare [for our switching defense] in practice. And I have got five guys that can guard five positions so it makes it tougher,” Kleinschmidt continued

Guard they did. The Rams got every rebound in the first quarter at both ends. Every St. Ignatius shot was opposed. Only one shot went in. The score at the end of the first quarter was Rams 12, Wolfpack 2.

It was no better for the Wolfpack in the second quarter. The Rams’ defense was just on another level. Guards Makai Kavamme, AJ Chambers, Rob Walls were in the face of every St. Ignatius shooter. As was Rams’ wing/forward PJ Chambers.

But it was inside where the Rams’ defense dazzled. Senior forward Jaylan McElroy was everywhere. He dominated the paint. He grabbed rebounds. He blocked shots. If he could not get the rebound outright, he tipped the ball so his teammates could scramble to get it, which they did. Right with him in controlling the lane was Rams’ sophomore forward Rashawn Porter pretty much doing the same thing.

The Rams lead 25-4 at halftime.

St. Ignatius head coach Matt Monroe rallied his team at the half. They were a different team coming out of the locker room. Wolfpack senior guard Phoenix Gill, son of former University of Illinois star and 15-year NBA veteran Kendall Gill, dialed up his game a few notches. Held scoreless in the first half, Gill scored seventeen in the second half. Similarly, St. Ignatius senior Reggie Ray, scoreless in the first half, put in eleven points in the second half.

Don’t let the Rams’ next level defense let you think that’s all they have. The Rams can and do spread the ball around and score inside and out. Jaylan McElroy had sixteen points. Senior wing/forward PJ Chambers likewise had sixteen points. Junior point guard Makai Kvamme had thirteen. One does not want to get behind DePaul Prep. They do not turn the ball over, can break a press and make free throws.

“We knew that in order to win we had to get as many rebounds as we can. Keep them off the glass like we did. In the first half we just kept playing our game,” said Jaylan McElroy.

“We have been on TV lots of time. We were downstate last year. This was a rivalry game but we looked at it as another game. Just play our game and not look ahead,” said Rams’ senior forward Jaylan McElroy.

The schedule gets no easier for DePaul. They face DeLaSalle on Tuesday, Fenwick on Friday and then #5 Mount Carmel next Monday and #6 Benet the following Friday to close the regular season.