Previewing the IHSA basketball state finals: Downers Grove North emerges in 4A, Simeon favorites in 3A

How impressive was Downers Grove North’s crowd on Monday at UIC?

Simeon coach Robert Smith said it made him wish he was coaching in that game. Smith has pretty much seen and done it all at UIC, but he felt the special tingle the Trojans and their fans brought to the venue.

All of a sudden Downers Grove North has transitioned from a rather ignored, mid-teens ranked team to the talk of the state. The next stop is Champaign.

It’s the second consecutive year that a West Suburban Silver team has headed to the State Farm Center with a target on its back. Glenbard West was a heavy favorite last season and took care of business easily.

The Trojans’ 67-47 demolition of Kenwood on Monday was a surprise, even to Jim Thomas.

“We didn’t expect it either,” the Downers Grove North coach said. “We went out there and obviously shot it real well,”

Thomas meant he was surprised by the margin, not by the victory.

Three West Suburban Silver teams, Downers Grove North, Lyons and Glenbard West, have basically owned Public League Red teams the past two seasons. Those three West Suburban schools are a combined 9-2 against the city’s elite division over the past two seasons.

Junior Jack Stanton is leading the charge for the Trojans. The sharpshooting guard is playing with swagger and confidence. Downers Grove North (32-3) is winning without a key player, injured 6-6 guard Jacob Bozeman. Thomas said on Tuesday that he doesn’t expect Bozeman back this week.

The Trojans will face Moline (33-3) in the Class 4A semifinals on Friday. The Maroons are led by a pair of Iowa recruits, guard Brock Harding and 6-10 Owen Freeman.

Moline beat Oswego East in the supersectional. The Maroons have defeated East St. Louis and Rolling Meadows this season. They lost a very close game to Simeon and fell to Mount Carmel by 13 points in the Pekin Holiday Tournament title game.

Benet (34-1) and New Trier (31-4) matchup in the other Class 4A semifinal on Friday.

The Redwings are the most balanced team in Champaign. Seniors Brady Kunka, Brayden Fagbemi and Niko Abusara share the load.

“There’s a lot of unselfishness on this team,” Benet coach Gene Heidkamp. “They aren’t worried about who gets the credit. That’s what makes this a special team. No one is worried about statistics.”

Benet’s only loss this season was a close game to Simeon at Pontiac, so the Redwings enter as the favorites against a New Trier squad that has been improving throughout the season.

CLASS 3A

The Wolverines (30-3) are the team to beat in Class 3A. They will face St. Ignatius (24-11) in the semifinals on Friday.

Both teams are making return trips to Peoria. Simeon has rolled through the playoffs as Sam Lewis, Jalen Griffith and the Rubin twins are playing their best basketball of the season. Not even Hillcrest could pose a legitimate challenge on Monday.

St. Ignatius, which has persevered through injuries, had a fortunate path through the playoffs and will be heavy underdogs vs. the Wolverines.

East St. Louis (25-8) and Metamora (32-2) will match up in the other 3A semifinal. Metamora has everyone back from the squad that lost in the Class 3A championship game last season. The Flyers are led by Macaleab Rich, one of the state’s best players. They knocked off the defending champs, Sacred Heart-Griffin, to get to Champaign.

CLASS 1A/2A

DePaul Prep is the only local small school that survived the supersectionals. The Rams, who finished third in Class 2A last season, are led by Jaylan McElroy, Payton Kamin and Maurice Thomas.

“This is an incredibly strong year for Class 2A,” Rockridge coach Andy Saey said. “Each sectional had a state championship quality team. But DePaul Prep is the most skilled and athletic team in 2A.”

The Rams (21-12) will face Teutopolis (28-7) in the Class 2A semifinals on Thursday. Rockridge (28-4) and Bloomington Central Catholic (25-11) match up in the other 2A semifinal.