There is a lot to be excited about with this Blue Devils basketball team. Before the season started, the hopes were as high as could be. Warren finished with a 31-5 record in the regular season and was eliminated in the super-sectional round of the Class 4A tournament, losing by only two to Palatine. Popular Instagram account, Sloche, naming the Blue Devils the preseason number two team in the state. MaxPreps also named Jaxson Davis the best player in Illinois which is also a huge honor. The Devils kept improving as many of the roster returned including Jaxson Davis, Braylon Walker, Jack Wolf, Javerion Banks, Zach Ausburn and Owen Squires. Warren was looking to top their performances last year and take home the state championship.
The Blue Devils went 4-0 in their first four games. They were dominant against three of them, defeating Carmel by 16, Mundelein by 40, and Grant by 49. Deerfield was their only game where the score was within 10 but they handled business, winning 67-59. Their first real test game is against Waukegan at home. It was a back-and-forth game the whole way and the crowd was loud as ever, but Waukegan came out with the win, 72-62. Three days later, they would lose to the now 15-1 Kenwood Broncos by three points.
Over winter break, the Devils participated in the Proviso West tournament where they found their footing. The Devils won the tournament just a year ago and wanted to do the same this year. They started with a win against Hammond Morton and throttled Walther Christian Academy by a whopping 61 points. They also dominated Whitney Young winning 70-54 and overcoming the tournament hosts, Proviso West, 66-52. After going 4-0, they found their way into the championship game against Lincoln Park. Both teams had two losses up to that point, and Lincoln Park looked to conquer the defending champs. It was a thriller of a game, with both teams trading buckets but ultimately, the Blue Devils persevered with a one-point win. Sophomore Jaxson Davis finished with 21 points and Zach Ausburn complemented him with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Davis was also named the 2025 Proviso West Tournament MVP for the second year in a row. Jack Wolf earned all – tournament honors as well!
Warren had a very tough game following their tournament – matching up against DePaul Prep, a top-three team in all of Illinois, and their only loss was surrendered to Kenwood who also defeated the Blue Devils earlier on. After a great fight, Warren fell to DePaul Prep 53-42, snapping their 6-game win streak. The Devils followed DePaul by taking down Mundelein and Stevenson. After that Joliet West awaited Warren at home where the Devils would lose 80-66. This didn’t come without a positive however as Jaxson Davis dropped 37 points to cross the 1,000-point mark in high school basketball only being a sophomore.
The Blue Devils are led by Davis averaging 21.6 points, 6 assists, and 3 steals a game. Zach Ausburn who has seen his role improve from last year is nearly averaging a double-double totaling 11 points and 9 rebounds a game. Other players have been making solid contributions too, like Jack Wolf averaging 9, Owen Squires with 7.5, and Braylon Walker with 5.5. This is all with Javerion Banks only playing in one game, so the Blue Devils haven’t reached their full potential yet.
The Blue Devils aren’t a top-three team in the state right now, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been playing well. They are poised to make a great playoff push once the end of February and the beginning of March roll around. In the upcoming week, the Blue Devils will take on Lake Zurich at home on the 15th, away against Libertyville on the 18th, and back at Warren against Maine South on January 22nd. After that, kicks off a three-game road trip against Lake Forest, Bolingbrook, and Waukegan.
Every two weeks, I plan on making an update on Blue Devils basketball so stay tuned for more articles in the near future. GO BLUE DEVILS!
