State Finals: 3A and 4A Championship Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saturday night the 3A and 4A champs were crowned to finish off the Illinois High School basketball season.  The 3A title was between DePaul Prep and Mt. Carmel.  The 4A game followed with Homewood Flossmoor taking on Normal Community.  We dive into our thoughts on the games and prospects in <strong>State Final: 3A and 4A Championship</strong> <strong>Notebook</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>DePaul Prep Repeats in Clash vs Catholic League Rival Mt. Carmel</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first game was a rematch of a game played just before the playoffs started as DePaul Prep took on Mt. Carmel.&nbsp; The two schools are perennial powers in the Chicago Catholic League.&nbsp; DePaul Prep was looking to repeat as champs as they won 2A last year then got bumped up to 3A this season.&nbsp; They opened up on a 9-0 run to begin the game.&nbsp; That set a tone early and allowed them to dig in on the defensive end and get the game at their pace which was slow it down and run clock.&nbsp; They did just that leading from wire to wire to a final 49-41.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1545133' first='Makai' last='Kvamme'] was the MVP for DePaul Prep with the way he played all weekend.&nbsp; He had another masterful performance at the point hitting threes, using his hesi moves to get to the cup, and getting downhill off screens.&nbsp; Also got others involved finishing with 18 points and 6 rebounds.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='1385311' first='Robert' last='Walls'] also did a nice job in the backcourt as the fellow 2025 guard had 10 points on a couple jumpers and a pair of takes.&nbsp; Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1978593' first='PJ' last='Chambers'] only scored 8 points, but they were huge including 6-6 at the line to close the game out!&nbsp; Inside senior [player_tooltip player_id='1157352' first='Jaylan' last='McElroy'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1845360' first='Rashaun' last='Porter'] brought their length and strength on both ends.&nbsp; McElroy was very active on the offensive glass for put backs recording 3 of them in the win going for 8 points and 7 rebounds. &nbsp;Porter had 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists.&nbsp; Interesting stat was other than 2 minutes the 5 starters played the entire game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was pretty much the top 6 guys that played for Mt. Carmel with their star carrying them all game long.&nbsp; Northwestern commit [player_tooltip player_id='1373436' first='Angelo' last='Ciaravino'] was outstanding in his final high school game.&nbsp; The big and athletic small forward shot 6-10 from beyond the arc knocking them down all game long with his clean stroke.&nbsp; Also showed off his athleticism and some playmaking going for 24 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='1845357' first='Noah' last='Mister'] flashed in the second half with a pair of acrobatic drives along with draining a three for 7 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Homewood Flossmoor 2025s Lead Way to 1^st State Title over Normal Community</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 4A championship game saw two of the premier teams in the state of Illinois meeting in the final game of the year.&nbsp; Both squads were loaded with prospects.&nbsp; It was very different than the first game as each team came out swinging back and forth with shots going down all over the floor.&nbsp; Homewood Flossmoor never trailed in the game however as they held a steady lead throughout despite a few Normal runs.&nbsp; They won the game and state championship 60-48.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Once again it was the [player_tooltip player_id='1385293' first='Bryce' last='Heard'] show.&nbsp; The junior without a doubt put himself in the pole position for the top spot in the 2025 class heading into the next update.&nbsp; He was magnificent with his shot making once again draining feathery jumpers along with throwing down nasty dunks in transition along with getting to the line.&nbsp; He had 21 points (3-4 3PT), 10 rebounds, and 3 assists.&nbsp; His fellow junior [player_tooltip player_id='1774274' first='Jayden' last='Tyler'] got it all going banging in a pair of triples to start the game and then did the same early in the second half.&nbsp; Was 4-5 from beyond the arc for 15 points along with 7 rebounds.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='1488791' first='Carson' last='Brownfield'] showed what we have known for the last two years which is he is a physical bucket getter!&nbsp; Brownfield used his physicality, handles, and shot making racking up 12 points and 7 rebounds. It wasn't his best performance, but their standout senior Columbia commit [player_tooltip player_id='1352590' first='Gianni' last='Cobb'] closed out his career with a title.&nbsp; The athletic lead guard scored 8 points most of which were in the second half including a couple acrobatic conversions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Normal Community got their best from [player_tooltip player_id='1285481' first='Noah' last='Cleveland'].&nbsp; What a story after going from highly ranked prospect, to stepping away from hoops his junior year, to returning as one of the best bigs in the state.&nbsp; He produced on the big stage dominating the HF opposing center all night going for 13 points (5-8 FG) and 11 rebounds.&nbsp; Solid game as well from fellow uncommitted senior [player_tooltip player_id='1172774' first='Braylon' last='Roman'].&nbsp; The combo guard has good size knocking in a couple triples along with utilizing his runner game for 17 points and grabbing 7 boards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->