Harding, Maroons Dominate Redwings; Win 4A State Championship

Saturday was Championship Day in Champaign as four teams would be crowned as Illinois' State Champions. The Class 4A title game featured Benet and Moline.

The Benet Redwings got a lift from sixth man Sam Driscoll, who replaced the injured Brady Kunka, leading to a 64-49 win over New Trier. Moline's star point guard Brock Harding started hot, and the Maroons never looked back as they beat Downers Grove North 50-36.

The first half was tight, but the Redwings were once again without Brady Kunka, and his lack of presence eventually caught up to them. The Maroons only led by 7 at halftime, but they pulled away in the second half beating the Redwings 59-42.

Maroons point guard Brock Harding once again did a great job picking the defense apart. The Iowa commit led all scorers with 28 points, including 3/5 from three, and 11/14 free throws. 6-3 guard Grant Welch, and 6-1 forward Jasper Ogburn each finished with 8 points. 6-10 center Owen Freeman, who is also committed to Iowa, had only 4 points, but had 9 rebounds and 3 assists.

Senior guards Brayden Fagbemi (Johns Hopkins commit) and 6-4 Andy Nash each led the Redwings with 12 points. 6-5 senior forward Nikola Abusara (Dartmouth commit) had 10 points and 5 rebounds.

The Redwings finish 35-2, and the Maroons finish 35-3, including a 16 game winning streak to end the season.