Boys basketball: Downers Grove South goes from 10 wins to conference champs in win over Leyden

DOWNERS GROVE – Late in the home game against Leyden on Feb. 9, Downers Grove South seniors Justin Sveiteris, Jalen House and Richard Gasmen spent a few seconds reminiscing about their careers.

With the other seven players on the other side of the court, House walked over to Sveiteris and slapped him on his hand while free throws were being attempted. Standing about 10 feet away from half court on the defensive end, Sveiteris maintained his stoic expression on Senior Night.

He had a good reason.

“The game wasn’t over, so I was only going to celebrate it after the win,” Sveiteris said after the Mustangs’ 66-56 victory over the Eagles that clinched the West Suburban Gold title. “But I felt excitement over being able to win this game and conference.”

On Senior Night, the Mustangs (20-7, 9-1) beat Leyden (21-7, 7-4) for the second time this season and won the program’s first Gold title since 2010-2011, according to Downers Grove South coach Zach Miller. The Mustangs won only 10 games last season and five games in 2021-22.

“It’s something that hasn’t been done in awhile at Downers Grove South,” Sveiteris said. “I’m happy that this group was able to do that. This win means so much, especially after the past several years of just struggling. We did a great job of sticking together to make sure we all got better. That work is paying off now.”

House said the victory was a memorable moment for the six seniors, a group that also includes Will Potter, Dominic Marcantelli and Jeremiah Harlin. In 2021-22, the Mustangs lost 20 games. On Feb. 9, the Mustangs won their 20th game.

House said he made a point to say a few words to Sveiteris, who had a team-high 27 points, and Gasmen late in the game.

“I just said, ‘Boys, we made it. We’ve been through so much over the past three years on varsity and the win is right in front of us,’” House said. “This win means the world to us. We’ve been through a lot of things in our three years on varsity.”

Miller called it the perfect night to win No. 20.

“It’s been a long time coming and these are the guys who bought in two years ago,” Miller said. “We had a lot of lumps and bad losses. They had crazy faith in us. We had crazy belief in those guys. It’s crazy how it aligned on Senior Night for our 20th win.”

The 6-foot-7 Sveiteris sparked the victory, playing big in the middle to seize the height advantage over the mainly guard-oriented Eagles. When Leyden rode a hot scoring spree by Drelyn Jones (27 points, four steals) to cut the deficit to two points late in the fourth, Sveiteris scored eight points over the next four possessions to put the game out of reach.

Junior guard Keon Maggitt scored 10 points, House added nine points and Marcantelli had six for the Mustangs.

Downers Grove South earned the No. 10 seed in the Class 4A playoffs, opening up against No. 6 seed Neuqua Valley in a Downers Grove North Regional semifinal Feb. 21.

”This win means the world to us,” Potter said. “A bunch of us remember our rough sophomore year and to see the growth in the guys and now to be conference champ, that’s special.”

Leyden coach Bill Heisler heaped praise on the balanced Mustangs while also mentioning the impressive play by Jones, who exploded for 19 points in the fourth quarter, including hitting three 3s in a dynamic scoring effort.

“Their size just gives us fits,” Heisler said. “We don’t have anything to match with it. I was happy how we competed on the glass. When Drelyn gets a little stronger, whoever lands him is getting an absolute steal. He does everything for us. He’s a great student and a great kid. Colleges should be looking at him. When the game was on the line, he just found a way to score even when everyone was trying to stop him.”

At 6-foot-2, Jones remains unsigned but his shooting, ability to slither his way through defenses and long wingspan quieted the large crowd in the fourth.

The No. 10-seeded Eagles open the Class 4A playoffs against No. 7 seed Lane Tech on Feb. 21.

“As a team, we played well and gave every effort we had,” Jones said. “I was confident and showed I can play with anyone. I’ve had some pretty good games and a good season, but it’s all about putting in the work and my coaches really helped me. But we’re looking to get some momentum for the playoffs. We’re trying to win a regional.”