Cooper, Seton whip Winnebago

Seton’s Khameron Harper drives past Winnebago’s Chuck Misuraca
(Scott Powers/For the Sun-Times News Group)

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PEORIA — In a 40-second sequence late in the first half Seton point guard DJ Cooper, the Chicago Sun-Times Small School Player of the Year, showed every skill you could ask of a point guard.

Cooper scored, picked the ball clean and delivered a perfect pass to Kenny Stevenson that put an exclamation point of a first half that separated Seton and lifted the Sting to an 83-58 victory over previously unbeaten Winnebago in a Class 2A semifinal Friday night at Carver Arena.

“DJ is a phenomenal point guard,” Seton coach Ken Stevenson said. “People don’t give him enough credit for everything he does. He is always a team-first guy and he knows how to pick his spots. I just wish I could bottle him up.”

Seton (30-2) dominated in the paint from the start. Corbin Thomas (19 points, six rebounds) scored nine points in the first quarter. By halftime, the Sting was up 44-29 and had 30 points in the paint to 10 for Winnebago (31-1)

“We came out with a lot of intensity,” Thomas said. “I just got great passes from DJ and Khameron [Harper]. I knew that [Winnebago post] Chas Cross was good and that they were 31-0.”

The Indians cut the Seton lead to 52-44 and had three chances to get closer, but the Sting answered with an 8-0 tear on two baskets from Thomas and two from Cooper (15 points, four assists, two steals).

“Every game we played helped us get where we are,” Harper said. “Coach doesn’t want to make it easy. I think our press bothered them a lot and we got some turnovers and easy baskets. DJ is always telling me to be confident with my shot.”

Harper had his best game of the season with 17 points (3-of-5 three-pointers) and eight rebounds. Chris Olivier (who pronounces his name like Sir Laurence) scored 12 in six fourth-quarter minutes on 5-of-5 shooting.

Mike Mann had a career-high 21 points and Cross scored 11 for Winnebago.

“This was our first time so I talked to all the coaches I know, Gary London [Hales Franciscan], Lamont Bryant [South Shore] and Lewis Thorpe [North Lawndale] and asked them what they did good and what they did that was not so good when they brought teams here," Ken Stevenson said. “They all said the same thing, ‘Just because it’s the first time, why change what you’ve been doing now?’

“I’ve coached at Hales and at Whitney Young and I’ve been around some good teams, but I don’t know if any of them run the break or play defense like we do.”

Asked if he thought he might have trouble sleeping before tonight’s championship, Harper said, “I think it might be hard to sleep tonight.”

“Eleven-thirty curfew,” his coach reminded him.