The varsity boys basketball team entered February with a 20-2 record, looking to end the regular season on a good note. They especially looked forward to the final game of the season, as it was a home game against DePaul College Prep, one of the best teams in Illinois. Warren had an 8-1 record in February, the lone loss being to DePaul College Prep. However, there were still plenty of great moments for them this month. Jaxson Davis scored his 2,000th point against Evanston, and the team finished conference play with a perfect 14-0 record, making them North Suburban Conference champions. Now, the Blue Devils head into the playoffs and are looking to get back to the IHSA 4A State Championship Game at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for the second straight year.
Warren opened February with nice wins against Perspectives-IIT/Joslin, Mundelein, and Stevenson. Jaxson Davis was creeping up on reaching 2,000 points, and he only needed 7 more going into the game at Evanston to reach it. At the time, Evanston was a top-10 team in the state, so this game was a good test for the Blue Devils to see how they would perform against one of the better teams on their schedule. However, Warren won in dominant fashion, 79-60, and Jaxson Davis had an amazing game. He scored 32 points, got several steals, and had lots of dunks too. Jaxson got his 2,000th career point early in the game, and he’s only in his junior year. That put him 9th all-time on Lake County’s scoring list, and now he’s even higher up on the list.
After that win, the team went on to beat Lake Zurich, Libertyville, and Hinsdale Central. At the home game against Lake Zurich, Jaxson Davis and Coach Ryan were honored pregame. Coach Ryan was recognized for reaching 100 wins as the head coach of the team. On senior night, they beat Zion-Benton 68-38, and Jaxson Davis sat out to rest up for the game the next day against DePaul College Prep. The seniors from the basketball team, devilettes, and cheerleaders were honored pregame, and the guys celebrated being North Suburban Conference champions postgame. Everyone was ready and excited for the final game of the regular season.
The day finally arrived, and DePaul College Prep came into Warren with a 25-3 record and on a 10-game win streak. The Blue Devils had a 28-2 record and were on an 11-game win streak. This game was the biggest home game of the season for Warren, as DePaul College Prep has been state champions for 3 years in a row and is now in class 4A. Meaning this game was a preview of what we could see late in the playoffs, possibly even the state championship game. The whole town was ready for this game, as the gym was packed and very loud. Unfortunately, the Blue Devils fell just short, 58-54, and had a rough shooting game. The team was 5/23 from three-point range, but the team was optimistic about the loss. They had a tough time getting points, but they still kept the game close, even with the struggle. They know that if they just clean a couple things up, they can take down the top teams in the state. Hopefully, they’re able to fix that, as their 3 losses were against arguably the top 3 teams in Illinois: Benet Academy, DePaul College Prep, and Curie.
Now, the Blue Devils head into the playoffs with the number one seed in the Rockton (Hononegah) Sectional bracket. Their first game will be against Zion-Benton at home on Wednesday, 2/25 at 6 PM. They will then play the winner of Libertyville vs Grant in the regional final at home on Friday, 2/27 at 7 PM. The winner of that game will play the winner of the DeKalb Regional in the sectional semifinal at Hononegah Community High School on Tuesday, 3/3 at 6 PM. Finally, the winner of that game will play in the sectional championship at Hononegah Community High School on Friday, 3/6 at 7 PM and will move on to the Super-Sectionals. Warren has one goal left in mind: win a state championship for the first time in the school’s history after a heartbreaking one-point loss to Benet in last year’s Class 4A state championship game. Go Blue Devils!
