State Finals: 3A and 4A State Championship Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The season concluded on Saturday night in Champaign with a pair of state championship games as DePaul Prep took on Brother Rice for 3A followed by Benet vs Warren in the 4A title game.&nbsp; Time to dive into both games in State Finals: 3A and 4A State Championship Game Notebook!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Defense Does It for DePaul Prep When It Matters Most for 3A Title</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The DePaul Prep Rams completed the three peat on Saturday night winning their third consecutive state championship.&nbsp; With their team down multiple possessions to Brother Rice late in regulation they turned to the press and got steal after steal which turned into points and got the game to overtime.&nbsp; In the first OT session each team got a three but that was it.&nbsp; The second OT had a little more action, but DePaul Prep made the key plays when it mattered most including an and-1 on a dunk by [player_tooltip player_id='1845360' first='Rashaun' last='Porter'].&nbsp; They held on to win 55-52.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Porter is a great place to start in this game.&nbsp; The highly ranked 2026 post player had some huge plays in this game.&nbsp; Tip dunk early, hook shot, and was a force on the glass.&nbsp; The and-1 dunk at the end of double OT was big, but the free throw he hit after was crucial considering he had hurt his left hand during the extra session.&nbsp; Went for 14 points (5-15 FG), 11 rebounds, and 5 steals.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='1545133' first='Makai' last='Kvamme'] stepped up in the late part of the game as well.&nbsp; He struggled at the foul line missing five in a row, but when it matter most the Western Illinois commit who is the leader of this team made the clutch plays.&nbsp; Big three from the wing late in regulation.&nbsp; Spinning layups, floaters, and creative conversions in the extra sessions.&nbsp; He also was active on the defensive end with his hands, passed it, and boarded well for a guard stuffing the stat sheet.&nbsp; Finished with 16 points (7-13 FG), 9 rebounds, and 4 dimes.&nbsp; They do not win this game without [player_tooltip player_id='1435692' first='Rykan' last='Woo'].&nbsp; The DePaul Prep 2026 point guard played composed with the ball in his hands and made 5-5 from the line including three in a row on a fouled triple that was key.&nbsp; He had 7 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Early in the game [player_tooltip player_id='2538949' first='KJ' last='Morris'] was the senior that stepped up for Brother Rice.&nbsp; He is a power wing that is at his best scoring inside which is what he did against DePaul Prep guards.&nbsp; Crafty around the basket and knows how to use his strength as he had 11 points (5-6 FG).&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='1545120' first='Marcos' last='Gonzales'] took over the game for stretches for the Crusaders.&nbsp; The Citadel commit is an ultra smooth wing that can create for himself and others.&nbsp; Slick ball handler attacking downhill on a plethora of scores in the paint along with getting to the line at a high rate.&nbsp; He had 24 points (7-16 FG) (10-13 FT) and 8 rebounds.&nbsp; Sharp shooter [player_tooltip player_id='2538898' first='Jack' last='Weigus'] knocked in a pair of threes and a couple pull ups inside the arc for 10 points (4-11 FG).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Benet Wins Thriller for 4A Championship 55-54 vs Warren</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were some dud games throughout the weekend, but the last one lived up to the billing.&nbsp; Benet and Warren were both preseason top 5 teams with star power on both sides.&nbsp; It seemed like Benet led for most of the game, but Warren would always make a run and get within striking distance.&nbsp; It came down to one possession where Benet had to get a stop.&nbsp; They did and won the 4A championship 55-54.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Benet got contributions across the board in this game.&nbsp; Class of 2026 combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='2105390' first='Jayden' last='Wright'] had a big game with his shot making from both mid-range and three as he hit big shots one after another netting 15 points (6-9 FG) and 7 rebounds.&nbsp; The senior combo of Truman State commit [player_tooltip player_id='1598658' first='Blake' last='Fagbemi'] at the point and SIU commit power forward [player_tooltip player_id='1598682' first='Daniel' last='Pauliukonis'] was what this team was built on and it came up clutch down the stretch as each of them made plays.&nbsp; Fagbemi sliced up the defense with his passing all game along with tough scores in traffic on spinning layups for 14 points (4-12 FG), 4 rebounds, and 6 dimes.&nbsp; Pauliukonis showed off his complete game stretching the floor knocking in threes, putting it on the deck with fluidity, and running the floor.&nbsp; He had 17 points (7-13 FG) and 6 rebounds.&nbsp; Junior [player_tooltip player_id='2105376' first='Colin' last='Stack'] is among the premier 2026 big men in the class.&nbsp; The seven foot center was a force throughout the game blocking/altering shots in the paint.&nbsp; Offensively he hit a corner three and was excellent on the offensive glass including a big one handed slam off a rebound.&nbsp; Finished with 9 points and 7 rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Warren star sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2323571' first='Jaxson' last='Davis'] did everything he could in the second half to try to bring his team back.&nbsp; He found something working off ball screens in the last two quarters being skinny through traffic for acrobatic layups.&nbsp; Also hit a crazy and-1 three from the corner to cut the lead late.&nbsp; His passing was on point throughout the night making sound decisions over and over again.&nbsp; Davis as always was impactful defensively with his cat quick hands and awareness creating turnovers.&nbsp; Went for 17 points (7-17 FG), 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 steals.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2291830' first='Javerion' last='Banks'] certainly made a lot of plays throughout this one as well.&nbsp; The explosive senior shooting guard had 22 points (7-13 FG) and 5 rebounds.&nbsp; He scored from all three levels.&nbsp; Went 3-6 from distance while also showing off his elite athleticism at the cup on slashes.&nbsp; Got to the line quite a bit as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->