The following are posts related to specific shoots. And other things that I cannot stop myself from writing about.
The DePaul Prep Rams (32-2) defeated the Notre Dame Dons (16-18) 46-16 last night in the St. Viator 3A Sectionals semi-final. The Rams advance to play the Lake Forest Scouts on Friday at 7:00 p.m. in the sectional final.
Lake Forest handled a scrappy if undersized Ridgewood Rebels squad 59-32 in last night’s second game.
Here is a preview of this week’s story in the Inside—Booster:
By Jack Lydon
This was a heavy weight prize fight between two top teams, #4 ranked DePaul Prep (27-2, 8-0) and #7 Mount Carmel Caravan (26-5, 6-2), with top players, Jaylan McElroy and Angelo Ciaravino, for the Catholic League Championship. The Almighty must have wanted to save this game for end of season and cast the City of Chicago into a deep freeze on its regularly scheduled day causing the postponement to the end of the season.
This was not only the best game in town Monday night; it was the best game of the season and everyone knew would be. DePaul Prep’s Tom Winiecki Gym as packed. There was an unconfirmed report that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelse snuck into the balcony seats after the game started but I did not see them.
The Rams fell behind 10-2 midway through the first quarter. Their shots were not falling. Mount Carmel scored inside early. Two things that typically do not happen. The Rams typically own the first quarter and give up very few points inside and trailed 14-8 at the end of the first quarter.
“They kept their composure. We talked about it. We have been there before. We are 13-1 in the playoffs the last two years. They have seen everything from down twelve with 2:50 to go to double overtime and overtime at Leo. They have seen a lot. It’s a thirty-two minute game,” said DePaul Prep head coach Tom Kleinschmidt.
The Rams rallied in the second quarter with stellar defense holding the Caravan to five points and going into halftime tied at 19-19. This would be one of those games decided in the last minute.
In the second half, the Rams came out of the gate scoring opening a seven-point lead at one point in the third quarter. But Mount Carmel is too good to go away quietly. The Caravan’s best player, Angelo Ciaravino, the fourth ranked player in the class of 2024, made his presence felt scoring 14 of his 18 points in the second half.
“We did a poor job on [Ciaravino] late. We had some poor execution defensively. He is that good of a player. He going to the Big Ten for a reason,” Kleinschmidt said.
The game was tied at thirty-eight each late. The defenses were tough. A steal by DePaul Prep’s PJ Chambers led to a foul that stopped Chambers from a layup. The gym screamed for an intentional foul as Mount Carmel’s player wrapped up Chambers with both arms. Chambers free throw game the Rams a one-point lead.
Mount Carmel’s Ciaravino fifth foul caused another stoppage and a blizzard condemnation from the Caravan’s head coach Phil Segroves.
Two more free throws by sophomore forward Rashawn Porter game the Rams a three-point lead. The Caravan had the ball down three points and a chance to tie the game with a little over ten seconds to play. Point guard Noah Mister drove the lane, his right foot slide, he put his left for down, leaned back picking up his right foot, shot the ball which went in. A whistle rang out. The gym collectively growned thinking it was a shooting foul and Mister would have a chance to tie the game.
No. The call was traveling. The ref waived off for basket. DePaul Prep got the ball.
The Rams held on in the final few seconds winning 41-38 to secure the Chicago Catholic League championship for the first time since the 2018-2019 season. Their sole Catholic League championship since the Gordon Tech days.
“First goal is done, yes,” said Kleinschmidt of the championship. “It’s everything. It’s the best league in the state by far. One of the best in the Midwest. There are a couple places to be greedy in basketball. Winning, winning it all and at the free throw line you get greedy. We are extremely proud of being undefeated in the best league in the stat and one of the best in the Midwest. 27-2, just tied a school record.”
“We just took what they game us,” said DePaul Prep’s leading scorer, senior forward PJ Chambers, with 20 points said.
“It was very important to win the Catholic League. Coach [Kleinschmidt] was very clear on what it means to win the Catholic League championship by ourselves. It’s so nice to win it all by ourselves.” Technically, the Rams had secured at least a three way share of the Championship with Brother Rice’s defeat of Mount Carmel the previous Friday.
What’s the second goal?
“State baby!” Chambers said. The Rams enter the IHSA 3A division state championship tournament next week. They open the in the Carmel Catholic regional in Mundelein on Tuesday. As the number one seed, the Rams will initially face the winner of the Grayslake North and Amundsen and then the winner of Wauconda and Carmel Catholic.
The Lane Tech Champions (17-11, 7-2) hosted reigning IHSA 3A runner-up Simeon Wolverines (14-13, 6-2) in the Chicago Public League quarter-final at Lane Tech on Wednesday. The Champions defeated Whitney Young for the first time in memory on January 24th, could Simeon be next?
None of the Lane Tech fans wanted talk about such a thing as they waited for the Wolverines to arrive at Lane. Lane Tech defeated Perspective ITT and Crane to move up to the CPL playoffs’ quarterfinal and the chance to defeat Simeon. Simeon defeated Dunbar and Brooks and would have to travel up to the Northside to take on Lane.
This is not your father’s Simeon Wolverines. Not even your brothers. Legendary Simeon basketball coach Robert Smith is enjoying his first year of retirement. Last year’s Rubin brothers have moved onto division one college basketball.
Smith’s long time understudy Tim Flowers is at the helm of the Wolverines this year. Flower’s 2023-24 Wolverines start one returning player, Rashad “RJ” McKinnie and four talented but inexperienced sophomores Lorenzo Shields, Kassidy Nelson, Jocahana Pullum and Andre Taylor.
Lane played right with the Wolverines in the first quarter. Lane’s junior center Dalton Scantlebury had 5 points and senior guard Shadeed Solebo had 5 but the Champions trailed 16-14.
The second quarter began to show the Champions weaknesses. If Lane was going to come up with another huge win in this winning season, they would need not only big games from Scantlebury and Solebo, they would need their outside shooters Brandon Labkon and [name redacted] to drain some threes. No threes in the first half for the Champions. Simeon opened a 31-21 lead at the half.
Not much better for the Champions in the third quarter. They were making foul shots and working the boards very well against the young Simeon squad but still trailed by nine at the end of the third. Simeon’s senior leader RJ McKinnie was playing lights with 14 points in the first half and finished with a game high 22 points.
Nick LoGalbo’s Champions never quit. Seven unanswered points by the Lane got them right back in it midway through the fourth quarter. The Champions trailed by only four points and had all the momentum. Simeon was not done. They added free throws at the end keep their lead. Lane’s [name redacted] and Brandon Labkon added a couple huge buckets after Shaheed Solebo fouled out. The Champions trailed but three in the final seconds and had the ball after a critical Simeon turnover.
It was not to be. A miss and a turnover robbed the Champions of a chance to tie.
It was an emotional win for the Simeon Wolverines who have struggled at time this season.
“It’s been a big road for me. Last year I played with all seniors. It was easy. But this year I have to be more of a leader and lead the younger kids. It’s hard [to take that on]. Everybody wants to beat Simeon,” said Simeon senior guard RJ McKinnie.
Simeon moved on to play Curie in the City Championship semi-final on Thursday but lost to top seed Curie Condors 75-51.
McKinnie lead all scorers with 22. Lane’s Dalton Scantlebury had 15 and Brandon Labkon 14
Before the season started, I made a list of my goals for the basketball season. The season is quickly drawing to a close. Just a few games left in the regular season. It has flown by.
In looking back at my goals, I have done a pretty good job achieving them. One part I did not get to was covering Payton and Lincoln Park. I also did not get a story about a girls’ game published. I tried to do those things. There just was not enough time among to press of other matters.
Several years ago, I wrote that the season was four three different parts. Thanksgiving to Christmas, Christmas, regular season in January and February and finally playoffs. That is a little different for me now. It’s more like there are two different seasons going on at the same time: tournaments and shootouts and League games.
The tournaments and shootouts are about seeing how good one’s team is and getting ready for the league games and the playoffs.
The league games are the ones that matter. The playoffs are, well, the playoffs. The first rule of fight club (playoffs) is you do not talk about fight club (playoffs). Until the playoffs. Even so, I have spent a lot of time studying the sectional assignments evaluating the various paths of many teams through the playoffs. But I will not speculate about that here.
I ought to have stopped to reflect on the season before this point. I might have enjoyed the season more had I done so. I have enjoyed the work of it. I have enjoyed getting better, and faster, as a writer. I still need to keep working on getting better as a photographer. I have concentrated more on the writing because that needed a lot more work.
With the photography, I have scaled back on taking, processing and publishing so many photos. I have tried to take better photos. Photos that I find interesting. I have tried, and mostly failed, to get at least one Kirsten Stickney signature reaction shot. It eludes me. I will keep trying.
I have enjoyed the season very much. It’s been great fun watching a team have some much success but not let it go to their heads. Somehow, they are remarkable grounded. Not really impressed with themselves. Not at all upset about a lack of sufficient recognition. They are just playing the games on the schedule and having fun doing it.
So here we are, the last few games of the season. Then the playoffs. Crunch time. Strangely, I am not the least bit nervous. I am just looking forward to seeing what happens. Let’s go.
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.
