The look of agony on Samuel Vree’s face said it all.
The 6-foot-9 center got a piece of the ball but also a piece of the arm of a Bishop McNamara player, the foul was whistled and the shot rolled in. It was just one of a myriad of unfortunate circumstances for Illiana Christian.
The combined net result led to Bishop McNamara’s 60-42 victory Friday in the championship game of the Class 2A Beecher Regional.
“We just got out-athleticized,” Vree said. “It was tough. I’d block a shot, and it felt like there were three of them right there to get it. It was just really frustrating.”
Bishop McNamara (21-7) advances to play Lisle in Tuesday’s Seneca Sectional.
Vree and Illiana (17-11) hung in early, but eventually Bishop McNamara’s stable of offensive threats wore down the Vikings.
The Irish got a huge 14-point effort in the first half from Dylan Post, who finished with a game-high 18 points. Chris Bell’s 3-pointer as the halftime horn sounded gave McNamara a commanding 28-16 lead.
It got no better after the break as the Irish stretched the lead to nearly 20 points by scoring 15 straight in the late stages of the second quarter and early portion of the third quarter.
The difference came in loose-ball scenarios. The Irish seemingly ended up with all of them, either in the open court or on the boards. Illiana was virtually neutralized on second-chance scoring opportunities while McNamara feasted.
“That’s what happens when you play a really athletic team: They out-athlete you, and they win most of those 50-50 balls,” Illiana coach Grant Sikkema said. “If that happens to you, then you need to count on making shots.
“And we weren’t making those shots either. They hit some big shots early and took the wind out of our sails.”
Illiana Christian’s offense stagnated for most of the game, and the Vikings didn’t manage a double-digit scoring quarter until the fourth — well after the outcome was decided.
“We just couldn’t keep up,” Sikkema said. “We’re not the kind of team that is very good playing from behind. We are bigger, longer and we like to zone. We like to make you play our type of game, and when they got that big lead early, they made us come out of our comfort zone.”
Vree was the only player for Illiana to finish in double figures with 10 points. He also had eight blocked shots.
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“The result on the scoreboard was all that really mattered (Friday),” Bishop McNamara coach Adrian Provost said. “We didn’t play our best game, but we advanced, and that’s all we were looking for.”
Steve Soucie is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.