‘It’s good to be back’ Mason Accidentale, Plano make long-awaited return to home court

PLANO – Eleven months to the day after he played in a regional final at Plano, Mason Accidentale finally returned to his home court for a game.

It must have felt like a lifetime ago.

Masks were on Saturday. The four other starters from Plano’s regional finalist team from last year are gone. Plano’s gym, save for a scattering of 20 fans, was empty for its home opener.

It’s no matter to Accidentale. Playoff or pandemic, it’s still basketball to Plano’s junior guard.

“It’s good to be back here. I don’t really think there’s much of a difference,” Accidentale said. “It’s basketball, it’s what I like to do. It doesn’t matter how many people are here.”

An afternoon after winning their season opener at Somonauk, Accidentale and the Reapers dropped their home debut to state power Peoria Notre Dame 80-36.

Plano put the two non-conference games together in the last week, after the Interstate Eight Conference finalized a league schedule that starts Tuesday. It’s been a whirlwind couple weeks since the Illinois Department of Public Health and IHSA gave the green light for basketball, but Plano was ready for basketball Saturday during COVID-19.

Temperatures were taken at the door, with a sign-up table for contact tracing and hand sanitizer at the ready. Spots on the bleachers were marked with an “X” where fans were instructed to sit, socially distanced from other parties. Instead of a jump ball to start the game, Notre Dame inbounded in at half court. Both teams sat in chairs spaced apart on the sidelines.

It almost seemed fitting in this very different basketball reality when the Beattles song “Yesterday,” hardly a high school gym staple, piped through the PA during an otherwise quiet halftime.

“Everything has felt weird,” Plano coach Kyle Kee said. “I don’t know. As a coach, we’re not playing particularly well, we’re not defending anybody but it’s like man, we’ve only had seven practices. It’s tough.”

Indeed, playing Notre Dame – a team that reached a sectional final last year before the rest of the postseason was canceled – was a tough short turnaround after Friday’s thrilling 63-60 win at Somonauk.

The Irish (2-0) scored on their first six possessions of the game. Junior guard Noah Reynolds, who scored a team-high 14 points, knocked down three 3-pointers in the first quarter. When the Irish missed shots, they cleaned up on the offensive glass with a big team that plays four guys 6-foot-6 or taller. The biggest is 6-8 freshman Lathan Sommerville, who scored 11 points, the son of former Peoria Central and Bradley star Marcellus Sommerville.

Notre Dame led 26-5 after a quarter.

“I just told the guys we’re not ready to compete with that team,” Kee said. “If you give us some time, maybe a full season, maybe we can. It’s tough playing against them; all five guys can dunk the ball.”

Plano (1-1), much smaller than last year, does not have near that size. But it does have an excellent shooter in Accidentale who is only getting better.

Accidentale missed his first three 3-point attempts Saturday, but got going with 14 of his game-high 22 points in the second quarter. He knocked down two 3-pointers and turned a score in transition into a three-point play.

“He’s such a great shooter. When he misses, we’re in shock,” Kee said. “We always expect him to make it. One thing he has to get better at is finishing around the basket, but we’re talking elite stuff.”

Indeed, Accidentale, who last year set a single-season program record for made 3-pointers in a season, has aims to expand his game in his abbreviated second varsity season.

“I’m trying to be more of a playmaker, try to get my teammates the ball, not pass up open shots,” Accidentale said.

The Reapers closed to within 45-24 by halftime, but Notre Dame expanded its lead with a 10-0 run out of halftime.

Colin Schuler, a 6-foot-7 junior, had 13 points and four dunks and 6-6 Matt Williams added 12 points.

The Irish, 2019 Plano Christmas Classic champions, didn’t get a chance to defend their title this season as it was canceled by the pandemic. But Irish coach Tom Lacher made a point to try to get his team back to Plano for at least one game.

“That’s the whole reason we came here. I love Plano, love their program, coach Kee and I have become coaching friends and more important our guys love coming up here,” Lacher said. “When we got the go-ahead to play for Phase 4, the only call I made was to [Plano athletic director Jim] Schmidt. I said if you can fit us in someplace I just want my seniors to be able to come up here. They love it here.”