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Can anyone challenge Yorkville Christian?
It’s been the elephant in the room throughout the entire Class 1A playoffs. Duke recruit Jaden Schutt and the top-ranked Mustangs have looked like men among boys ever since the postseason began. Yorkville Christian has won seven playoff games by a downright ridiculous 44 point per game margin.
The Friday semifinal in Champaign was no different. Yorkville Christian raced out to a 21-2 lead after a quarter and went on to a 70-27 win over Steeleville.
The Mustangs play Liberty at 11 a.m. Saturday in Champaign for the Class 1A title.
“We talk about ‘shock and awe’ as a slogan,” Yorkville Christian coach Aaron Sovern said. “We have a reputation among the Class 1A community that we can get after it and we want to show that we can actually do that. It’s not just a myth.”
With one more win, Yorkville Christian can capture its first state basketball championship. It’s perhaps a foregone conclusion to some. Some have whispered could the Mustangs win Class 2A, if they were in that class? How about 3A?
Their opponent Saturday, though, is having none of it.
Liberty, ranked fourth in the final Associated Press poll, already has made waves this weekend. The Eagles rocked second-ranked Scales Mound 75-41 in Friday’s second semifinal.
Liberty senior Devin Klauser, who scored a game-high 24 points Friday, spoke with borderline cockiness afterward.
“We think we are going to beat them, because, honestly their defense is kind of sloppy,” Klauser said. “We’re just hoping that we hit them early and we can slow down the game and keep the lead. It’s going to be interesting. They are obviously a really good team but I think we can take them.”
The Eagles do have some attributes that could make for a difficult opponent, specifically size. Klauser is 6-foot-6, Logan Robbins 6-5 and Breiton Klingele 6-4.
Yorkville Christian senior K.J. Vasser said the Mustangs will be ready to go.
“We didn’t drive all the way down here to lose,” Vasser said.
Here is a breakdown of the two teams:
Yorkville Christian
Record: 24-13
Scoring leaders: Jaden Schutt (25.3 ppg), K.J. Vasser (16.4 ppg), Tyler Burrows (11.1 ppg), David Douglas Jr. (10.2 ppg).
Rebounding leaders: Jaden Schutt (6.1 rpg), K.J. Vasser (4.1 rpg)
Assists leaders: Tyler Burrows (4.3 apg), Jaden Schutt (2.8 apg).
NOTE: Stats going into the weekend.
Path to championship game: Defeated Ottawa Marquette 73-32 for regional title; beat Putnam County 81-47 for sectional title; beat Lexington 71-33 in supersectional; defeated Steeleville 70-27 in state semifinal.
State Finals history: First state tournament appearance.
Worth noting: Yorkville Christian has beaten its seven playoff opponents by an average margin of 44 points; Jaden Schutt was the only player in any class voted unanimous All-State First Team by the Associated Press; Brayden Long, who missed 8-9 months with a Jones fracture in his foot and returned in December, is coming off perhaps his best game of the season with 23 points in Friday’s semifinal win; Vasser and Schutt have both hit over 100 three-pointers on the season; Yorkville Christian, for all its offensive firepower, has been fueled by its defense throughout the postseason. The Mustangs have allowed just 40 points per game through seven games. Yorkville Christian, which opened in 2014, never had a team reach state until this school year – but now can win its second state title in three weeks. Yorkville Christian’s wrestling team won the Class 1A team title in February in Bloomington.
Liberty
Record: 30-5
Scoring leaders: Breiton Klingele (12.7 ppg), Cannen Wolf (9.1 ppg), Logan Robbins (9.0), Devin Klauser 8.7
Rebounding leaders: Breiton Klingele (7.2 rpg), Logan Robbins (5.4), Devin Klauser (5.3)
Assists leaders: Clayton Obert (2.9 apg).
Path to championship game: Defeated Griggsville 61-47 in regional championship; beat Jacksonville Routt 39-28 in sectional championship; beat Augusta Southeastern 49-42 in supersectional; beat Scales Mound 75-41 in state semifinal.
State Finals history: 4th place in 1981 (Class A), 4th place in 2005 (Class A), DNP in 2006 (Class A), 3rd place in 2016 (Class 1A).
Worth noting: Liberty finished fourth in the final Associated Press Class 1A poll. The Eagles don’t score much, averaging 56.1 points per game heading into the weekend. But they don’t give up much, either. Liberty has allowed 39.7 points per game in six playoff games. The town of Liberty, population of 489 according to a 2019 census, is located 30 miles east of Quincy. Liberty has never won a state championship in a team sport. The Eagles are senior-dominant with good size. Liberty’s top five scorers are all seniors. Devin Klauser is 6-foot-6, Logan Robbins 6-5 and Breiton Klingele 6-4, and the Eagles overwhelmed Scales Mound on the glass 41-20 Friday.