St. Anne ends Warriors' 1A title run

Simply put, St. Anne’s speed and athleticism was too much for Morgan Park Academy on Wednesday night.

The Warriors dropped a 74-55 decision to St. Anne in their Class 1A sectional semifinal, their state tournament run ending abruptly before a crowd of about 400 in the Bobcats’ gym.

“It should have been closer,” Morgan Park Academy head coach Erin Johnson said. “We thought we could win this game. We had a very good scouting report on them.”

Much of that was compiled during an earlier meeting, a 13-point loss in the Kankakee Holiday Tournament. The idea was to deny the Cardinals the easy drive to the basket.

In large measure, that, represented by MPA’s 2-3 zone, worked for a half. St. Anne led 29-22, but the Warriors were in the game.

Then came the third quarter, and the Cardinals put the game out of reach with an 11-0 outburst in the first two minutes after the intermission. A three-pointer by Dimitri Morgan started it, a three-pointer by Javonta Davis extended it, a layup by Bryant DeWitt kept it going, and a three-pointer by Kenneth Thomas capped it.

“They went on that run,” Johnson said. “We had the zone — we had to give them something.”

Suddenly, a seven-point deficit was expanded to 18, at 40-22, and the climb back was impossible. The Warriors cut the gap to 11 points with 1:45 remaining, but could get no closer.

Still, the Warriors’ run in the IHSA’s smallest class was a trip worth taking, even though it ended with a 14-17 record. The Warriors had never won a regional title before Friday night’s victory over Luther South.

“There’s a lot of pride,” said Damon Williams, whose 25 points led MPA. “Morgan Park Academy basketball had been a joke for 10-15 years. We’re very proud to have turned it around and made it this far. We felt we could have done a little bit more, but we’re nod sad, because we’ve done something that had never been done here.”

St. Anne (20-8) plays Newark (24-5) for the sectional title and an Elite Eight berth on Friday night.

“They’re a talented team, very athletic,” Williams said of St. Anne. “Once they knocked down a couple jump shots, they had an advantage. Going into the game, their shooting was a weakness.”

St. Anne jumped to a 10-5 lead, and led 16-12 after a quarter before the Warriors cut the gap to 17-16 on a pair of Williams free throws with 5:14 left in the second. But an 8-0 run by St. Anne made it 25-16, and was a harbinger of what would come.

MPA’s Yazin Akkawi was held to eight points, while sophomore center Tony Core scored 12. St. Anne was led by the 23-point showing of Davis, who was supposed to start. He came off the bench at the first whistle after Cardinals head coach Rick Schoon filled out the scorebook incorrectly.