Bishop McNamara bookended the 2025-26 regular season with a pair of seven-game win streaks.

With a 71-42 win over Herscher (14-19) in Wednesday’s IHSA Class 2A Herscher Regional semifinals, the Fightin’ Irish (26-5) extended their latest streak to a season-long eight games to advance to Friday’s championship against El-Paso Gridley, where they will look to secure a second straight regional title and third in the last four years.

That seven-game win streak to start the season featured two tournament titles for the Irish, and senior Callaghan O’Connor said games like that, as well as experience from last season’s Sweet 16 run, can help come playoff time.

“A lot of our guys are experienced, but you can never really prepare yourself for the atmosphere when it’s win or go home,” he said. “Playing all those tournament games, you simulate it. You simulate trying to get as far as you can and not lose at all. It really pays off.”

O’Connor finished second on the team with 16 points Wednesday, 14 of which came in the final three quarters.

Richard Darr and Coen Demack scored 10 of the team’s 20 first quarter points, with Darr knocking down a 3-pointer from each corner and Demack finishing the quarter with a putback of his own missed free throw just ahead of the buzzer, putting the Irish up 20-9 after one.

That lead grew to 14 after a Karter Krutsinger 3-pointer opened the second quarter scoring. After Herscher battled back to cut it to 30-23 late in the second, the Irish carried a 35-25 lead into the break.

Bishop McNamara slowly grew the lead with a 17-12 advantage in the third quarter before pulling away with 19-5 fourth quarter.

Krutsinger finished with a team-high 18 points, Demack had 12 and Darr had eight.

While the Irish’s more experienced players did the bulk of the scoring, some newcomers also made in impact.

Freshman Jayson Benton knocked down a pair of 3-pointers over the first three quarters of his postseason debut and fellow ninth grader Corey Hathaway entered to start the fourth, scoring two points and helping force three turnovers while guarding some of the Tigers’ top players.

If the Irish are to pull off another lengthy postseason run, these younger players and other bench contributors like Ian Irps and Preston Payne will keep playing valuable roles.

“It’s good they have a bunch of seniors with them,” Bishop McNamara coach Adrian Provost said. “That really helps. They get to settle in and rely on our seniors to lead them.

“I’m happy with the way they played and I think they got comfortable. I think they’re ready to fly.”

Last season ended for the Irish with a heartbreaking three-point loss to Bismarck-Henning in the sectional championship game.

Demack said he and fellow returners are determined to erase that sour taste from their mouths, with the next step coming Friday against El Paso-Gridley.

“We want to go as far as we can,” he said. “Last year, us seniors feel that we fell a little bit short of what we should have done, so this year our whole mindset is that we’re pushing to go as far as possible.”

Herscher got to end the season on its home floor after beating Reed-Custer in Monday’s regional quarterfinal.

Austin Buckley led the team with 18 points. Tyler Lundberg added 12 points while Gavin Hull added five, Alek Draper added four and Tanner Jones added three.

Buckley, Draper, Jones, Hull, Aidan Knobloch and Dylan Bright all had their basketball careers end Wednesday, but managed to finish with the best record for the program since the 2021-22 season and saw their win total increase in each of the last three seasons.

“I thought it was kind of the ribbon on top and special they got to finish their long careers on their home floor,” Herscher coach Drew Boudreau said. “A lot of emotions in the locker room after a game like that, especially the guys who have been with us for a while, but I can’t emphasize how proud I am of them.

“I hope the juniors, and I’m really excited about the JV team we have, see that this senior group really laid a foundation.”

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Boys Basketball: IHSA Class 2A Herscher Regional semis - Herscher vs. Bishop McNamara Bishop McNamara's players celebrate a scoring play near the end of the fourth quarter during Bishop McNamara's 71-42 victory over Herscher in the IHSA Class 2A Herscher Regional semifinal on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (Tiffany Blanchette)