According to CSN Chicago’s 2016 Preseason Boys Basketball Rankings, the Stevenson Patriots stacked up as the eighteenth best boys high school basketball team in the entire state of Illinois.  Only one year removed from a 2014-2015 Class 4A State Championship, the Stevenson basketball program epitomizes sustained excellence; Head Coach Pat Ambrose is heralded for his expertise and experience in the high school basketball circuit.  Former superstar guard Jalen Brunson not only led the 2015 Stevenson team to a state championship, but he also followed that up with earning the starting point guard spot for the 2016 Division I NCAA Men’s Basketball Champion Villanova Wildcats.

Heading into the Wednesday, January 25, showdown with the Blue Devils, Stevenson was 14-2 overall and 6-0 in the North Suburban Conference while Warren was 7-10 overall and 1-5 in conference.  Justin Smith, the senior 6’7″ star forward and future Indiana University centerpiece, along with his fellow Patriots boarded the bus back to Lincolnshire following a shocking defeat.  Although Justin Smith threw down a thunderous slam dunk early in the first quarter that briefly halted play, it was Warren that brought the sustained power throughout the night.  A stifling persistent press coupled with determined focus on points in the paint brought Warren its second conference win of the season in the 60-51 upset.

At the first quarter buzzer, senior Warren guard Juwan Perry racked up eight points, and he would finish the game with 26 total, but Smith would lead all scorers with 28.  Junior guard/forward Branden Ellis emerged as an x-factor in the game; he forced steals, scored double digit points (10 total), and contributed to the team’s grittiness on the court.  His true grit crystallized when it was revealed after the game that he battled the stomach flu throughout the competition, which he ailed from for several minutes following the game’s end.

Head Coach Jon Jasnoch radiated enthusiasm following the victory as he lauded his team’s dogged determination on defense in “hold[ing] the [opposing] team under fifty.”  Additionally, he sought for his squad to “build on the way [it] played together” that night with their “inside out” attacking of the basket instead of forcing outside shots after he prioritized the strategy early in the first quarter.  He highlighted that once the team “refocused about playing inside out [and] turned [outside shots] down” it was able to gain control of the game.

In regard to personnel, Coach Jasnoch praised the ball handling of his starting lineup featuring senior guards Juwan Perry and Jayson Dorsey alongside junior forward Branden Ellis as akin to having three point guards on the floor to open the game.  Versatility surely paid off, and Coach Jasnoch ended his presser by applauding Ellis’s “gutty performance.”  Considering that the game was tied 24-24 at halftime, it is appropriate to praise the entire Warren program for taking down a state basketball powerhouse in decisive fashion.

Observing that his team is “used to handling the situation [of the pressures of a close game],” the eyes of Warren basketball peer toward the ending of their season hoping to sustain its poise and execution; it’s the ideal time to heat up.

Photo credits: http://basketball.dailyherald.com/article/20170222/sports/170229540/