[Preview of this week’s Inside—Booster article.]
By Jack Lydon
This one hurt. The two best high school basketball teams in Illinois faced off in the 4A semi-final in Champaign Friday afternoon. Benet Academy’s Colin Stack made a free throw with 1.1 seconds on the clock to give the Red Wings (36-1) the 39-38 win over the DePaul Prep Rams (32-4).
As close games go, never has one been closer. These teams know each other. The players know each other. The coaches are friends and relatives. It was a shame one team had to win and one lose in the season’s penultimate show down.
“I didn’t have any pep talk, any motivational talk. You know these guys so well. They know you so well. We are down in Champaign,” Benet head coach Gene Heidkamp told his team before the game.
The Rams jumped out to small first quarter lead. The Red Wings drew even and led at the quarter. They were tied at the half. One point separated them at the end of the third.
Benet pushed the slight 4th quarter lead to six with under three minutes to play. Didn’t look good for the Rams.
After DePaul Prep’s senior center Rashaun Porter made it a four-point game, the Rams went to a full court press.
“We didn’t do [the press] well the first time we played them [in the Pontiac] so we worked on it and it worked out well for us. We didn’t want to do it too early so they get comfortable with it,” said DePaul Prep Rams coach Tom Kleinschmidt.
Catching the Red Wings a little flat-footed, the Rams trapped the inbounds pass. Rykan Woo stole the ball under the basket and instantly made it a two-point game.
More press. Rashaun Porter Porter scored inside off another steal. 38-38 with 1:11 to play.
Then another steal and the Rams had the ball and chance to win. With under ten seconds to play, Rams AJ Chambers drives to his right, collides with Benet’s Perry Tchiegne who tipped the ball away. Benet’s Jayden Wright recovered the ball. Streaking up court, Wright passed to Edvardas Stasys in the lane. Rykan Woo smartly foul him on the floor—no shooting foul which resulted in an inbounds pass.
Then there were series of five consecutive times out while the teams tried to draw up a play, defend a play, then that again, then that still another time.
“I don’t know how many times outs there were. There might have been eight,” Heidkamp said.
“He kept changing the play, so I kept changing the play. It just depended on who was taking it out and who was around the rim. We would see the set, the I would guess what they doing, then he would change it,” Kleinschmidt said.
Finally, Benet’s Jayden Wright passed the ball inbounds to seven-footer Colin Stack. Stack was fouled but missed the bucket with 1.1 on the clock but was fould.
First free throw, no good. Second free throw. Good. 39-38.
Benet wins and advances to championship game against fellow East Suburban Catholic Conference team Marist.
Rams’ senior center Rashaun Porter lead all scorers with 14 points. Rykan Woo had 11. Jayden Wright led the Red Wings with 11. Edvardas Stasys had 10.
The DePaul Prep Rams string of consecutive state Championships comes to an end. It’s been quite a procession of basketball playoff success for the Rams. Six finals appearances in the last six finals dating back to 2019. And in one of the COVID years, the Rams won the Chipolte tournament finishing the season ranked No. 1. Even more remarkable is DePaul Prep head coach Tom Kleinschmidt’s record. In twelve years as head coach at Gordon Tech/DePaul Prep, Tom’s teams have been in the finals six of those twelve years.
The Rams won the third-place game 56-46 over York late Friday evening.
