Gianni Cobb brings magic, Bryce Heard consistency as Homewood-Flossmoor beats New Trier in the Class 4A semis

CHAMPAIGN—New Trier pulled off its game plan perfectly Friday at State Farm Center.

The Trevians dictated tempo against top-ranked Homewood-Flossmoor, turning the IHSA Class 4A state semifinal into a low-scoring halfcourt game.

Gianni Cobb busted the plan open with one magical moment.

The Homewood-Flossmoor senior waited, watched and struck at exactly the right time, racing to the top of the key to poke the ball away from two New Trier players.

Cobb, a Sun-Times All-Area selection, scored on a fast-break layup and was fouled. He made the free throw to give the Vikings a six-point lead with 1:08 to play.

The Trevians fought back to cut the lead to one with 22 seconds left, but seniors Carson Brownfield and Caleb Chavers each made two free throws to seal a 40-35 win and a spot in the Class 4A state title game for Homewood-Flossmoor.

“I cheated and got the steal and the big and-one,” Cobb said. “That was a big play for my team, brought us back up.”

There were several heroes for the Vikings (32-4). Junior Bryce Heard was the team’s only significant offensive threat for most of the game, and Chavers’ high-pressure free throws were incredibly difficult for a player that only played three minutes and didn’t take a shot in the game.

Heard scored 16 points and had seven rebounds. He was 7-for-11 shooting, making several difficult shots when Homewood-Flossmoor’s offense was stagnant.

“We needed a spark offensively,” Heard said. “I tried to come out there and be aggressive and hit some shots.”

Cobb scored 12 points for Homewood-Flossmoor, which turned up its defensive intensity in the final minutes.

“We have to be strong with the ball,” New Trier coach Scott Fricke said. “We can’t turn the ball over in late situations. It happens. Sometimes you throw the ball away. We’re not perfect.”

New Trier (29-8) led 5-4 after one quarter, and the game was tied at 11 at halftime.

Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

“We wanted longer possessions, and we wanted to control the pace of the game,” Trevians senior Logan Feller said. “Yeah, we couldn’t get into a rhythm at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but the long possessions were a good thing for us over the course of the game.”

Feller finished with nine points, eight rebounds and three assists. Sophomore Christopher Kirkpatrick continued his emergence as a playoff star, leading the Trevians with 13 points.

Sophomore Danny Houlihan drained two three-pointers in the final 46 seconds to keep things close.

The Trevians lost in the Class 4A semifinals last season, as well.

“It’s an incredible run,” Fricke said. “You see how good they are on the floor, and they are even better people. If you’re gonna beat us, you have to tear our heart out. And that’s what Homewood-Flossmoor had to do tonight.”

Homewood-Flossmoor will face Normal, a winner against Palatine in the other semifinal, in the championship game Saturday. The Vikings have never won a state title. Their Julian Wright-led team lost in the title game to Shaun Livingston and Peoria Richwoods in 2004.

After the game, H-F coach Jamere Dismukes was asked if he believed the Vikings were a “team of destiny.”

“Yes, I do,” Dismukes said. “I believe that.”