Short-handed Kenwood beats Oak Lawn to win Class 4A regional championship

Kenwood senior Calvin Robins Jr. spent the last few days hearing about bylaws, eligibility and court proceedings.

The Broncos were at the center of a storm. Coach Mike Irvin, two assistant coaches and five players were ruled ineligible for the state tournament by the Illinois High School Association.

That put Robins, a smart, charismatic kid, in a new role. He’s the only senior left playing for the Broncos. DePaul recruit Chris Riddle and Arizona State recruit Jaden Smith are ineligible. The previously tall, star-studded Kenwood squad no longer has a height advantage against most teams.

Robins, a 6-5 forward, is a talented rebounder. The other players remaining on the varsity team are freshman star Devin Cleveland, highly regarded sophomore Rajan Roberts and junior Chris Watkins. They were joined by a mix of six sophomores and freshmen from the sophomore team.

‘‘It was a long week,’’ Robins said. ‘‘Nobody believes in us, but that doesn’t matter because everyone in that [locker room] does.’’

The patchwork Broncos beat visiting Oak Lawn 60-54 to win the Class 4A Kenwood Regional championship Friday.

‘‘I love them,’’ Robins said of his teammates. ‘‘They stepped up when we needed them. They were prepared for moments like these. They gave it their all like it was their last team, and I’ll forever love them for that.’’

Robins finished with 11 points and eight rebounds. Roberts scored 15 points on an array of takes to the rim. Cleveland showed why he’s one of the trio of heralded freshmen in the state, scoring 18 points.

Cleveland was injured early in the season and played a couple of games with the sophomore team before rejoining the varsity. That turned out to be fortunate for Kenwood (24-7).

‘‘I knew they could play in big games,’’ Cleveland said. ‘‘They were going to step up. Any team we play, I know we can beat. I don’t know why anyone is surprised we won. We have talent from the top of the roster to the bottom. Everybody can rock.’’

Oak Lawn (22-9) started slowly. Even Public League teams need a few minutes to adjust to playing in Kenwood’s small gym, and the Spartans scored only two baskets in the first seven minutes.

‘‘We won the second quarter,’’ Oak Lawn coach Jason Rhodes said. ‘‘It just seemed like every time we would turn them over, we turned it right back. So we could never string a run together.’’

Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

The Spartans committed 20 turnovers. Junior Donte Montgomery scored 17 points and sophomore Jack Dempsey 16.

‘‘All the drama surrounding this, I wish we could have just played a basketball game,’’ Rhodes said. ‘‘But credit to Kenwood. Shorthanded, they did a great job. Devin Cleveland was spectacular.’’

The Broncos’ new varsity players are Cameron Mwachullah, Osiris Bell, Antonio Porterfield, Jumir Agudabatie, Damari Stephens and Prince McCord. They combined for six points and nine rebounds in support of Kenwood’s stars.

‘‘Mike [Irvin] is going to be so happy,’’ Cleveland said. “We did this for all the guys that couldn’t be here.’’

Kenwood will face Simeon, a 52-42 winner against Riverside-Brookfield, in the sectional semifinals Wednesday at Riverside-Brookfield.