SOUTH BELOIT—The South Beloit boys basketball team took a ride down Smooth Ave. in last season’s route to an IHSA 1A Regional Championship as it trounced Somonauk 74-27 before rolling over Christian Life 51-22 in the finals.
The SoBos’ journey to a third-straight championship grew a bit longer this season without a quarterfinal bye, but it started on a similar path with a 78-38 rout over Stockton to kick the postseason off.
But then third-seeded South Beloit took a turn onto Hard Knocks St., where the SoBos found themselves fighting tooth-and-nail to keep their playoff run alive.
Ultimately, South Beloit’s road to a state title continues on after pulling off a pair of late wins against East Dubuque and Lena-Winslow.
“We responded really well this last week,” head coach Matt Stucky said. “You knew going in with that regional that whoever won, they were going to earn it because there were no easy games anywhere. Our focus and execution was really good, this was very well-earned.”
It is South Beloit’s (25-7) third-straight IHSA 1A Regional title.
“This is probably the golden era of SoBos’ basketball,” Stucky continued. “As far as longevity and postseason production goes, it’s unmatched. It says a lot about those guys and how they perform and embrace their roles.”
The SoBos edged the Warriors, who were hosting the regional, 32-31 on Wednesday to advance to the championship. Senior Desmond Hampton scored a crucial layup in the final minute that proved to be the game winner after South Beloit’s defense made one final stop.
“That was a slugfest,” Stucky said. “Both teams didn’t shoot very well and both teams were really good defensively. Every possession was valued and mattered. Every point that you could come across meant a lot.”
The key to the final offensive bucket? The SoBos balanced scoring effort.
East Dubuque had crowded three defenders around 6-foot-8 junior Ross Robertson, the reigning Beloit Daily News Player of the Year who is always a serious threat to score in the post with the ball in his hands. The extra attention on Robertson left Hampton wide open for the score.
“The other guys might not make a ton of shots just because they're not going to shoot a lot,” the head coach said. “Ross is going to take the majority of our shots because he's that good. But when they do shoot it, they seem to make it when it matters most.”
Robertson is averaging well over 20 points per game and nearly always achieves a double-double with his strong rebounding skills. But the cast around him has stepped up, and a majority of those players are first-year starters after the SoBos graduated four starters.
“Ross will find a way to get his points,” Stucky said. “But Syncere (Fane) had a big three in both games, (TreyMon Payton-Ruff) was phenomenal offensively against Lena-Winslow, Coltan Porter hit a couple of threes against Lena. We might have the best player on the court, but he's not going to win it by himself. The other guys are stepping up when it's their time.”
On paper South Beloit’s regional championship showdown with the Panthers looked like a tough one. Lena-Winslow had trounced the SoBos 55-24 in the season finale.
“Senior night is a great night, but it’s easy to get distracted,” said Stucky of South Beloit’s setback. “And it's not that the game doesn't mean anything at the end of the year, but it doesn't affect your seeding. It was easy to not come in with that attitude you need against a team like Lena-Winslow.”
The SoBos clearly came in refocused as they downed the sixth-seeded Panthers, who had upset Scales Mound 52-51 in the semifinals, 48-44.
“Our focus was so much better,” Stucky said. “The first half was still a struggle at times offensively — being able to get good shots and play against their zone (was tough). The second half we were great. We controlled the tempo, passed the ball really well and got open shots everywhere.”
And a valiant defensive effort has also helped South Beloit keep pace whenever its offense may take a possession or two to find its flow.
“It really starts with our ability to protect the basket,” Stucky said. “We have Ross on the back end so if there’s any kind of defensive breakdown, it’s like having a goalie back there. And we have more length at the top of our zone with our guards.”
The SoBos will now face top-seeded Eastland (25-9) in the sectional semifinals on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at River Ridge High School in Hanover.
“When you play Eastland, they’re going to guard you,” Stucky said. “They’re physical and it's hard to run an offense against them because they don't really give you anything. They have a big who's really good, athletic and moves really well. They're going to try and grind you out and wait till they get a good shot and we have to be able to make sure we defend them for long periods."
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