DePaul Prep Defeats Lake Forest 38-21; Wins St. Viator 3A Sectional

#4 ranked DePaul Prep Rams (32-2) defeated the Lake Forest Scouts (25-8) 38-21 to win IHSA 3A Sectional at St. Viator Friday evening. It was a matchup of the #1 seed against the #2 seed. The Scouts were ranked a couple times this year last appearing at #20 on February 4, 2023, in the Sun-Times Super 25.

“I think by far [DePaul Prep is] the best coached defensive team that I have ever seen in high school basketball,” said Lake Forest head coach Phil LaScala. It was that defensive pressure in third quarter that turned the tide for the Rams.

Both teams knew what they wanted to do—play defense. That they did. The first half ended 11-11. If anything was proved in the first half, it was that the Scouts know how to pass the ball. Taking shots for the sake of taking shots is not a thing for them. Let’s call their shot selection—selective. One might even say deliberate.

The usual offensive formula for the Rams was not working either. Senior All City and All Area forward/guard PJ Chambers was scoreless in the first half. So was senior forward and third team All City forward Jaylan McElroy. Junior guard Makai Kvamme lead the Rams in the first half with four of the Rams’ 11 points including a clutch layup at the close of the half to draw the Rams even. Junior guard Rob Walls dropped a three in the first quarter. Sophomore AJ Chambers added a field goal late in the second quarter.   

“We knew they would go 1-3-1 [defense]. I didn’t think they would start in it. We thought he would go man and then go 1-3-1. He started in it and that through us off. When he got out of it and we got downhill and their size was waiting on us. It bothered us,” said DePaul Prep head coach Tom Kleinschmidt.

The half court pressure by the Rams coming out of the half was the difference. “We picked up pressure. We did not sit back. We picked them up a half court. We tagged them all over and we trapped some things,” Kleinschmidt added.

“We had to change the pace of the game. If we would have gone on like that they would have beat us or it would have been a one possession game so we had to use our athleticism.

Rams junior guard Rob Walls got a steal and a layup to open the third quarter. Then Jaylan McElroy with steal and a dunk to open a what felt like a gigantic four-point lead. Four steals by the Ram on the first six Scouts’ possessions turned the tide. The Rams opened a 27-15 lead at the end of the third. With so few points being scored it felt like a huge lead.

“The sped us up a little bit. Our turnovers killed us and they got some easy baskets off the turnovers. That’s a big part of their game. They are the best defensive team that I have seen in the state. I watched a lot of film on them. I have watched them play a lot,” LaScala said.

It wasn’t all Rams. Lake Forest’s junior forward Hudson Scroggins was impressive with seven of the Scouts eleven points in the first half. But there simple weren’t very many points to be had for the Scouts.

With his team scoring so few points, LaScala had to do something. At the start of the fourth quarter the Scouts started fouling.

“I think they were trying to get in the bonus and make us shoot free throws,” Kleinschmidt said. “He was going to speed us up with traps and hopefully get turnovers. And he got them. But we came back down and got stops.

It wouldn’t be enough. The Rams can hold the ball. The Rams can make free throws. It ended 38-21 Rams.

After that game, Rams junior guard Rob Walls said, “[g]oin into [the third quarter] I knew we were going to need something, a spark for the team. The steals and layups brought us back into the game.”

Walls was indeed the spark the Rams needed with the size of Lake Forest neutralizing the play of McElroy and sophomore forward Rashawn Porter on the boards and the smothering coverage of high scoring PJ Chambers.

Walls was out with an injury much of the middle part of the season. “I feel dedicated to just keep working. Everyday in practice I keep working my best to get back in shape. Just running with these guys. Running with PJ and AJ; it’s helped me. It’s helped me big time,” said Walls.

The Rams move on to play Kaneland sectional winner Crystal Lake South (31-3) in the 3A Super-sectional game Monday at the NOW Area in Hoffman Estates.

DePaul Prep Defeats Mount Carmel 41-38; Win Chicago Catholic League

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.

DePaul Prep Defeats St. Ignatius 57-40

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.

DePaul Prep Beats Marian Catholic 54-39 to Win Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic

[A preview of my next story in Inside Publications]

If there is one thing a DePaul Prep Rams basketball team knows how to do, it’s finish. The #7 ranked DePaul Prep Rams (15-0, 2-0) defeated the Marian Catholic Spartans (10-5, 3-1) 57-35 Saturday night to finish off its first Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic championship.

The Rams’ emotional victory over Oswego East in the semi-final game less than twenty-four hours before the championship game was the issue. The Oswego East game was certainly the Rams’ toughest game of the year. DePaul’s usual scoring formula—outside shooting and inside putbacks—was not working. They were 0-6 from three-point range. The big men inside, center senior Jaylan McElroy and sophomore Rashawn “Shawn” Porter, carried the load with some inside scoring but the Rams trailed at the half. They overcame their struggles in the second half and won going away, 54-39, but had it taken an emotional toll on the 14-0 Rams?

Having survived Oswego East, would the Rams suffer a letdown? Would the Rams’ struggles shooting the ball in the first half continue?

If there was going to be a letdown, it did now show as the championship game started. The Rams opened an early lead on the strength of two early three-pointers. One from senior guard PJ Chambers and the other from Shawn Porter. There was no letdown in the Rams. Chambers struggled against Oswego East but he was back to his reliable self against Marian. The Rams opened a ten-point lead by halftime.

Marian Catholic wasn’t going away. They are too well coached and too skilled for that. The Spartans cut the lead to seven at the start of the fourth.

Itt was time for the Rams to finish. 

“We just guarded. We try to start and finish quarters. The kids are buying into that. They did a nice job of finishing the quarter. We practice [finishing games]. We have some calls we make. The kids are aware of it. They are very attuned to it. We have been doing it for a while. We used to do it because we had to do it to win. We shorten possessions. Now we feel if we get a lead, we can make teams foul us and we make some free throws. If we get the lead, we can spread them and make the lead bigger,” said DePaul Prep head coach Tom Kleinschmidt.

That’s what happened. The Rams shortened their passes, drew out the defense and the minutes ticked off. They either got some layups or drew fouls. But it was the other end of the court that made the difference. The Rams held Marian to three points in the fourth quarter. They did not give up a single field goal in the fourth quarter.  The man-to-man defense forced bad outside shots. The Spartans had just three points all on the foul shots.

PJ Chambers lead all scorers with 22 points. McElroy had 14. Junior guard Makai Kvamme had 12. Porter had 14. Sophomore AJ Chambers (PJ’s brother) had 2. Junior forward George Richardson also had 2.

This is the Rams’ first Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic championship in seven tries. They have been in a final four four times, including a second-place finish in 2019.

The Rams take their #7 ranking and their 15-0 record into January but those might not be around long. In the first three weeks of January, the Rams host #2 ranked Homewood-Flossmoor in the annual Steve Pappas Shootout at DePaul’s Tom Winiecki Gym. And then it will be #3 ranked Mount Carmel at home. And then 15 win, and conference rival, Brother Rice. Oh, and then powerhouse Normal Community High School after that. 

The Lane Tech Champions (10-7, 3-1) also competed in the Hinsdale Classic. The Champions lost a close opener to Maine South 65-52, then wins over Morgan Park 71-37 and Morton 63-30 but fell to Lincoln-Way Central 51-47 in the final game.

The #15 ranked Lincoln Park Lions (12-4, 3-0) have made a splash this year. They advanced to the championship game in the Proviso West Holiday Tournament losing to #4 ranked Warren Township High School, 78-52.

The Walter Payton College Prep Grizzlies travelled to Centralia for its holiday tournament. Despite picking up an early season upset victory at home against Lane Tech, the Grizzlies dropped all three games in Centralia to Mt. Vernon 56-34, Belleville West 63-48 and Cahokia 63-57.

DePaul Prep Defeats Oswego East 54-39 to Advance to HCHC Championship

The DePaul Prep Rams (14-0, 2-0) defeated Oswego East (10-5, 5-1) 54-39 Friday night to advance to the tournament championship at the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic.

It was a gutty and gritty performance by the Rams under the weight of an undefeated record. Ultimately, it was the Rams’ signature defensive strength in the fourth quarter that lifted them to a convincing but certainly less than certain victory.

While the Rams waited for their game to start, they watched Brother Rice, their Chicago Catholic League Blue rival, their fellow highly ranked team and their fellow undefeated team, lose to Marian Catholic 75-74 in double overtime.

When asked if watching Rice lose moments before their own game was to start, Rams’ coach Tom Kleinschmidt admitted it had an effect on his team.

“So yes. I don’t like to hear that. It’s probably true. It’s probably a late game. Probably having no school all coincides with it. It was our third game in three nights. I am not going to make excuses. I thought we would be a little more ready. We should have been a little bit more ready. But I think we have got some tough guys that want to win. Our culture helped us rise above that,” Kleinschmidt said.

But Kleinschmidt denied the weight of a 13-0 season played a part in the early struggles in the game. “I really don’t feel that and I would tell you that if I thought it was. I just think we do a nice job. They really handle being undefeated. They don’t even talk about it. They are pretty mature,” Kleinschmidt said.

Rams’ senior guard PJ Chambers, and the Rams as a team, struggled shooting in the first half. Chambers is usually the catalyst of DePaul Prep’s early offense. Without that punch, the Rams did not get their characteristic first period lead. The Rams’ field goal percentage in the first quarter was just 26.7% and they were 0-11 from three-point range in the first three quarters.

Midway through the third period, Oswego East started a ¾ court press when the Rams brought up the ball. Rams’ junior point guard Makai Kvamme quickly passed the ball to the middle and another quick back door pass into Rashawn Porter under the basket for a bucket. They broke the press as quickly as it started. The Wolfpack gave it up and settled directly back into their zone defense.

“I think teams do want to play us in a zone. Especially if we should the ball like we did tonight. We were 2 of 16 for 3s. We are a better shooting team than that. We have got some heavy legs and it showed tonight. Hopefully we get some rest and are fresh tomorrow,” Kleinschmidt said.

The press break sequence was a turning point. The Rams regained that confidence that they have not lacked all season. They settled into their clock control motion offense. Rams senior guard PJ Chambers, who struggled mightily shooting in the first half, opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer and added a second three-pointer a few minutes later to lift the Rams to a six-point lead.

“We got some deflections and steals and some layups that triggered us that gave a little bit of breathing room when we were not shooting the ball well,” Kleinschmidt said. The Rams closed the game scoring the last nine points and the final score made the game seem a more lopsided than it actually was. 

“It’s something all shooters go through. We have our highs, and we definitely have our lows. The main thing about a shooter is you gotta keep shooting,” Chambers said after the game.

Chambers downplayed the effect of watching Brother Rice lose. “Coach TK said, before we even started the tournament, that were going to be upsets. We definitely saw it. It was true for Brother Rice.”

Rams senior forward Jaylan McElroy did not suffer a first half slump. McElroy and fellow forward Rashawn “Shawn” Porter, who finished with 15 points, carried the Rams in the first half.

“I just kept playing my game. We were on the glass as a team but for me as an individual, I just kept the energy going. I did not let being down at the half get to me,” said McElroy, who lead all scorers with 17 points.

DePaul Prep won its opener against Lincoln-Way Central 53-25 on Wednesday. On Thursday, the Rams defeated the host Hinsdale Central Red Devils 51-33 to advance to face Oswego East. The Rams advance to face Marian Catholic in the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic championship game.

In other action at the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic tournament, the Lane Tech Champions dropped their first game to Maine South 56-52 then rallied in the second round to defeat Morton high school 63-30.

[Note: With the last start and finish to the game and the early deadline for the New Year’s holiday, this piece missed the deadline and will not be in the Booster this week. That’s okay. It gives me a chance to do a whole holiday tournament rap up.]

DePaul Prep Handles Loyola 40-18

The DePaul Prep Rams are for real. They just keep passing test after test. The #9 ranked Rams (10-0, 2-0) defeated the #25 ranked Loyola Academy Ramblers (8-3, 1-2) 40-18 at DePaul Prep on Friday.

If defense is Loyola’s calling card, DePaul Prep handed it right back to them Friday night at DePaul Prep’s Tom Winiecki Gym, and then some. The Ramblers has only managed to score nine points against the Rams until well into the fourth quarter. That’s not a typical high school even for the notoriously low scoring Catholic League games. The Ramblers managed to double that output in garbage time finishing with 18 points.

The Rams had struggled against the ‘Blers in recent years dropping four out of the last five games they have played with scores typically in the thirties and forties. Last year’s score was the lowest of the last five with a 39-36 Loyola win.

DePaul Prep’s man-to-man defense denied open shots to the Ramblers. Rams’ guards PJ Chambers, Makai Kvamme, Rob Walls and AJ Chambers were defending everything. The shots the Ramblers did manage to get up, didn’t fall. Rams forward Jaylan McElroy, Jonas Johnson and Rashawn Porter battle on the boards preventing easy second shots for the Ramblers.   

Junior forward Jonas Johnson led the scoring for the Rams with ten points including to three-pointers that lifted the Rams late in the first quarter. Senior guard PJ Chambers had nine points despite missing significant minutes because of some early foul trouble. Senior forward Jaylan McElroy finished with eight points.

The Chicago Catholic League Blue is largely regarded as the best conference in the state this year. Six of its nine teams have been ranked this year: # 4 Mount Carmel, #5 Brother Rice, #9 DePaul Prep, #13 DeLaSalle, #25 Loyola and formerly ranked St. Ignatius. The win over Loyola lifted the Rams to 2-0 in the conference. Mount Carmel and Brother Rice also remain undefeated in conference play with Friday night wins over St. Ignatius and DeLaSalle respectively.

“Lane was ranked in the pre-season. Lane tested us. Niles North tested us. Those teams are good. We haven’t been Catholic League tested. Loyola was on the road at Br. Rice. They were [tested] and we weren’t. I was nervous about that,” Rams’ head coach Tom Kleinschmidt said. His Rams passed the test handling the Ramblers like they haven’t in recent years.

Of his defense, Kleinschmidt said, “I think we switched up on them. We took them out of their first and second options. We stayed home on some shooters. The ball was not falling for them. We had a little bit to do with that. There we some shots that they would make on other teams.”

Loyola’s coach Tom Livatino is as good as it gets and dialed up the defense at the start of the second quarter going to his high-pressure trapping one-three-one defense.

“We had some unforced turnovers that we were not real happy with but the way we were guarding we forgave that a little bit,” Kleinschmidt continued. “We practiced the one-three-one. We have seen it on film and we were prepared for it.”

Coach Kleinschmidt was all business after the game with little time to celebrate a dominant Catholic League victory. That might have something to do with the fact that the Rams will face #6 ranked Bloom Township (5-2) on Sunday.

“They are big and strong. We haven’t watched them. We put all of our eggs in the Loyola basket. We will watch it tonight and tomorrow morning and then we will have practice. It’s the last game before [Christmas] break. We will go play our ass off and give it shot,” Kleinschmidt said of Bloom.