03/10/2022
BY JACK BULLOCK
CHAMPAIGN - The Steeleville Warriors have had a wonderful, record breaking season.

However the dream of winning a state championship was quickly put to rest on Thursday afternoon against Yorkville Christian.

A team filled with talented players, including Division I Duke recruit Jaden Schutt, and who's bench was every bit as good as most 1A teams in the state, demolished Coach Aaron Fiene's club 70-27.

A 21-2 first quarter and 20-2 fourth produced a state championship game appearance for the Mustangs as they improved to 24-13 on the season in a mostly brutal schedule of games against larger schools.

It was the 11th win in a row for Yorkville Christian and head coach Aaron Sovern.

Coach Aaron Fiene saw his teams' 11-game win streak snapped in the process.

Schutt, a 6-6 senior, put together a 16-point, 13-rebound, six-assist,zero-turnover performance while 6-4 junior teammate Brayden Long wasn't short on execution as he tossed in 23-points to lead the winner's as 12 different YC teams 'inked the book'.

Having made their way to the state finals for the first time in the boy's basketball program history, the Warriors' record fell to 29-7 after the defeat.

While the game was a mismatch on paper, it turned out to be the same on the court.

Steeleville will face Scales Mound on Thursday night in the 1A third place game with a chance for a 30th victory.

The new format of the tournament where all four classes are being held on one weekend the two 1A and 2A teams that tasted semifinal defeat will hook up for a third place game Thursday night.

Liberty took down state-ranked Scales Mound, 75-41 to reach Saturday's 1A title game against the Mustangs.

Steeleville senior guard, 6-1 Zach Mevert scored 10-points to lead his team while junior guard Carter Wasson hit a pair of 3-pointers and finished with eight-points.

The Mustangs kept Steeleville in check, holding 6-0 junior guard and honorable mention AP all-stater Jacoby Gross to just a 3-pointer for three-points.

The other senior starter; 6-0 guard Lane Lazenby ended up with four-points for Steeleville.

Coach Fiene's club, who blistered Macon Meridian on Monday night, were Central Illinois cold on Thursday.

Steeleville was just 12-of-47 (25.5 percent) from the field, including 1-of-9 in the first eight minutes.

“We talked about guarding the ball and I thought we did a pretty good job but the shots they hit were contested. We guarded them pretty well but they hit some tough shots and it snowballed on us,” said Coach Fiene. “It has been a lot of fun to watch these kids. They went undefeated but there wasn't a postseason so this was kind of a reward for these guys,” said Coach Fiene. “The kids got to come up here and enjoy themselves. That was a really good team, obviously.”

That wasn't a good time for a cold spell as the Mustangs came out and did as they pleased.

After a Wasson basket on a back door lob pass from Harriss cut the Yorkville Christian lead to 3-2, the Mustangs put it on the Warriors.

Schutt, who had delivered a 3-point bomb to open the game, added a couple of spectacular plays.

Getting the ball on the right wing, Schutt made a fake and drove down the baseline around Wasson for a two-handed dunk.

After a couple of rebound buckets by Long, Schutt made a steal to score on yet another dunk to end the quarter at 21-2.

Behind six-points from Mevert in the second quarter, the Warrior managed to cut into the Yorkville lead but it wasn't a sustained run.

Long came up with a three-point play in the lane while being fouled by Harriss.

A final bucket by Mevert on a rebound sent the teams to intermission at 33-13 Yorkville Christian.

An 11-2 run to begin the third quarter put the game out of reach of the Warriors.

Long only missed one shot in the game, finishing 8-of-9 overall, 7-of-7 inside the arc.

Junior David Douglass and senior Tyler Burrows helped “bury” the Warriors with points in the quarter and Long added eight more points, including a driving score with 1:25 left for a 50-22 lead.

Gross hit his only shot of the game, a 3-pointer from the right wing before the buzzer as they trailed by 25.

It got worse in the fourth quarter.

With no 30-point mercy rule in the state finals, it was quickly past that mark as Yorkville's second five came alive.

In just a bit more than four minutes, the Mustangs scored 16-consecutive points.

Long finished off his day with a pair of free throws and then a cut to the basket for a bucket off of a Schutt assist.

Then the reserves took over.

Sophomore Jehvion Starwood scored seven fourth-quarter points while classmate Dayvion Johnson, senior Luke Franklin and sophomore Jory Boley all produced before both coaches went deep into the bench to give the kids a chance to play on the University of Illinois floor.

Yorkville Christian ended up hitting 27-of-50 from the field in the game, 7-of-16 from the arc and they hit 9-of-12 field goals.

The Mustangs defense was so good they only committed five personal fouls and sent Steeleville to the foul line only once where Gross missed both of his tosses.

Coach Sovern's club out-rebounded the opposition with a 37-23 margin.

“They are just a great group of kids to be around,” said Coach Fiene. “We want to come back next year. Once you taste it (state finals) you get back. We're all big U of I fans and coming up here and sitting on the bench where Coach Underwood sits and play on the same floor that the Illini play on is special.”

Yorkville Christian (70) - Vassor 1 0 1-2 3, Schutt 2 4 0-0 16, Burrows 2 0 1-2 5, Douglas 2 0 0-0 4, Long 7 1 6-6 23, D. Johnson 0 1 0-0 3, M. Johnson 1 0 0-0 2, Mayes 0 0 0-0 0, Franklin 1 0 0-0 2, Boley 1 0 0-0 2, G. Johnson 0 0 0-0 0, Fisher 0 0 0-0 0, Starwood 0 0 0-0 0, Lomardo 0 0 0-0 0, Enty 0 0 0-0 0.
2FG-20, 3FG-7, FT-9-11, PF-5.
Steeleville (27) – Lazenby 0 0 0-0 0, Gross 0 1 0-2 3, Wasson 1 2 0-0 8, Mevert 5 0 0-0 10, Harriss 1 0 0-0 2, Rees 0 0 0-0 0, Reitz 0 0 0-0 0, Ingles 0 0 0-0 0, Ernsting 0 0 0-0 0, Newby 0 0 0-0 0, Ruby 1 0 0-0 2, Fiene 0 0 0-0 0, Buch 1 0 0-0 2, Sternberg 0 0 0-0 0.
2FG-9, 3FG-3, FT-0-2, PF-9.
Fouled Out – None
Technical Fouls - None.