PONTIAC — Coaches are rarely satisfied with their team’s defense.
Brother Rice’s Conte Stamas has been the exception to that profile in the last few weeks. He likes how the Crusaders have taken it to opposing teams.
As on March 10 in the fabled Pontiac gym, where the Crusaders took the measure of Peoria, 60-41 in a Class 3A supersectional, to assure themselves of the first state basketball trophy in school history.
Brother Rice (30-6) now heads to State Farm Center in Champaign this weekend.
“We’ve put in a lot of work as a team, and to see this as the output of what we put in, it’s great, and with this group of guys, it makes it even better,” Rice guard Jack Weigus said. “The season has ups and downs, and you find your form. Right now, we’re playing our best basketball. We just focus on what’s important.”
Marco Gonzales (20 points, five rebounds) and Weigus (19 points, six rebounds) took care of the scoring. Everybody took care of the defense.
“It’s a pretty good one-two punch,” Weigus said of the offensive commotion he and his pal create.
“The offense was going to come — we know that,” Gonzales said. “We had a rough stretch defensively and got back to it in practice, started stacking the days together. We buy into defense and it shows in what we did tonight. We’re playing our best at the right moment.”
Their coach agreed.
“In the last two weeks, our defense has gotten so much better,” Stamas said. “Early in the year, winning against good competition, we were kind of outscoring people. I wasn’t happy defensively all year. The last two weeks we’ve completely been a much better defensive team. It took three months — no, since June!”
K.J. Morris was a standout, limiting Lions shooting guard Leshawn Stowers to seven points — most of those scored when Morris was resting.
“He’s been our stopper all year and did a wonderful job,” Stamas said.
And Morris had company in his shutdown mode. The Lions (29-7) went 0-of-8 from the floor in the first quarter and had only 14 field goals in total. They never mounted a charge, never getting closer than six points in the first half, which ended with Rice leading by 14 points.
When Rice’s Max Justic opened the third quarter hitting three straight free throws — and later adding a 3-pointer — the Lions partisans in the big crowd went silent. It was going to be Rice’s night.
“Everyone’s buying into their roles,” Justic said. “No one tries to do everything. We all have something to do, including the bench guys. And we’re such a close group as it is.
“In the playoffs, we’ve just locked in.”
What a time for such cohesion. The Crusaders will have to reorganize their trophy case now.
“It means the world (to go to state),” Gonzales said. “There are times people doubted us when we lost three straight. But the people around me, we had all the trust in the world. That’s why we’re heading where we’re going.”
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