JOLIET — One more step. One more game.
That’s how every senior feels about their final athletic contest.
Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin’s Chaz Dubois is no different. He left Joliet Central High School on Monday thinking about what might have been for the Blue Devils.
Chicago Dyett’s Jah’mir Brown made eight straight free throws in the game’s final 90 seconds to lead the Eagles past the Blue Devils 40-36 in an IHSA Class 2A super-sectional contest.
“I feel like it’s going to gnaw at me for a little bit,’’ said Dubois, who had 10 points including a three-point play with 18 seconds left that pulled Bis-Henn/Ross-Al within 38-36. “I really feel like we should have won this game.’’
And win on Monday would have taken the Blue Devils (34-2) to the school’s first-ever appearance in the state tournament.
For Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin coach Gary Tidwell, it was a similar feeling to five years ago when Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin nipped BHRA 59-56.
“We did a great job of getting here. This was a fun and talented team,’’ Tidwell said. “Definitely, a team that we thought had a shot to make the state tournament.
“(Chicago Dyett) wasn’t too shabby. From an athletic standpoint, that is probably the most athletic team that our program has ever played. For our guys to be within striking distance throughout — I’m really proud of our team.’’
But, once again for the Blue Devils, a slow start left them in an early hole.
The Eagles (25-7) made their first four shots, including three 3-pointers, to take an 11-0 lead just three minutes into the contest.
“They were a pretty good shooting team. They came out hot,’’ Dubois said. “I felt that we close out well, but they were just hitting their shots.’’
It was just the opposite on the other end for BHRA, who committed four turnovers and missed multiple shots in the first quarter, as the Blue Devils trailed 13-5.
Senior Micah Stanford hit a couple of big 3-pointers in the first half as Bis-Henn/Ross-Al pulled within 18-16 at halftime.
“I felt good that we were only down 2 at half,’’ Tidwell said. “This was just a different level of athleticism that we faced. I think we had two or three turnovers and they made those first three 3s. That’s a tough challenge at the beginning.
“They were doing a great job defensively of containing our drive, but we did a good job of settling down and getting back into it.’’
Bis-Henn/Ross-Al took the lead twice in the third quarter on 3-pointers from senior Caden Keleminic, but Dyett answered each time, taking the lead for good on a three-point play by Brown, who led the Eagles with 13 points, making all 11 of his free-throw attempts.
“If we could have gotten a stop, we would have had a little cushion on the offensive end,’’ Tidwell said. “The pressure was on every possession to score, especially being a low-scoring game.
“We knew, at times, they would hold onto the ball and they did that a lot tonight. We felt it was to our advantage, because they were an athletic team, the more possessions they could get was to their advantage. We felt it played into our hands.’’
It definitely gave the Blue Devils their opportunities, as they pulled within on basket four times in the fourth quarter, but only once did Bis-Henn/Ross-Al get a defensive stop on the ensuing possession.
Dyett’s defense responded by forcing a turnover and Brown delivered two of his free throws to extend the Eagles lead to 36-31 with 31.8 seconds left.
Dubois acknowledged that steal by Dyett was a back breaker.
“We had to make them shoot free throws after that, and they didn’t miss a single one,’’ he said.
With the victory, Dyett advances to play Peoria Manual on Thursday in the IHSA Class 2A state semifinals at the State Farm Center in Champaign.
The Blue Devils with 34 victories, equal the school record set by the 2019-20 squad that also missed state by one game.
“It was a special year,’’ Tidwell said. “We loaded up our non-conference schedule to put ourselves in a position to be here. This senior group was special, with three multi-sport athletes. They left their mark on our school and our program.’’
At Joliet
IHSA Class 2A Super-Sectional
Chicago Dyett 40, Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin 36
Bis-Henn/Ross-Al (36) — Micah Stanford 5 0-0 13, Keison Peoples 2 0-2 4, Chaz Dubois 3 3-3 10, Anderson Thomas 0 0-0 0, Caden Keleminic 3 0-0 9, Ethan Dubois 0 0-0 0. Totals: 13 3-5 36.
Chicago Dyett (40) — Rickey Coleman 2 0-0 4, Aramis Brown Jr. 3 0-0 7, Jaden Mckinnon 3 0-0 8, Mikai Harris 1 0-0 3, Devon Shelton 1 1-2 3, Christian Lowe 0 0-0 0, Jah’mir Brown 1 11-11 13, Jacob Johnson 1 0-0 2. Totals: 12 12-13 40.
Bis-Henn/Ross-Al 5 11 10 10 — 36
Chicago Dyett 13 5 9 13 — 40
3-pointers — Bis-Henn/Ross-Al 7 (Stanford 3, Keleminic 3, Dubois 1). Dyett 4 (Mckinnon 2, A.Brown 1, Harris 1). Total fouls — Bis-Henn/Ross-Al 14, Dyett 8. Fouled out — Peoples.
Records — Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin 34-2 overall. Chicago Dyett 25-7 overall.