Knights enjoy another outstanding season; Sutton headed to state 3-point shooting finals.
By Mike Miazga
Correspondent
The IC Catholic Prep boys basketball team ran into a tough Chicago Orr team and dropped a 66-44 decision in the semifinals of the recent Class 2A Guerin Prep sectional in River Grove.
Orr went on to defeat Chicago DePaul Prep for the sectional title and played in the Class 2A Joliet Central supersectional earlier this week for a chance to compete in the Class 2A state semifinals this weekend in Peoria.
“Orr is extremely athletic and had several guys who could jump out of the gym,” said IC Catholic Prep coach TJ Tyrrell. “They are a very physical and aggressive team with their pressure and traps. They have the firepower inside and out. My guess is they will be the Class 2A state champions before this is all finished. We started out a little slow against them and had several opportunities to keep it close. We didn’t hit some shots early on and had some unforced turnovers that led to momentum going in Orr’s favor. The closest we got was 14 in the second half.”
Tyrrell noted Luke Ricobene, Matt Sutton and Amari Reed all had strong games against Orr. “Luke, Matt and Amari really battled against Orr,” he said. “Things are very encouraging for us next year. We graduate only three seniors and four of our starters are juniors this year.”
Tyrrell thanked Sutton, Tony Gaudio and Galvin Gecsey for their contributions as senior leaders.
“We owe them a big thank-you,” he said.
The Knights finished the season 21-8 overall. IC Catholic Prep won the Metro Suburban Conference Blue Division title for the first time in that setup and won their third league title in five years. IC Catholic Prep also won its second Class 2A regional title in the last four years.
IC Catholic Prep’s sophomore team finished 17-7 overall, while the freshman squad was 18-9.
“The future is bright,” said Tyrrell. “The program is healthy and I’m very encouraged moving forward.”
Alex Meurer, Kevin Cheng and Reed earned all-MSC Blue honors—all three are juniors.
“Alex really stepped up for us down the stretch,” the coach pointed out. “He came into his own. In those close games he was in there getting rebounds and doing all the little things we needed to win.”
IC Catholic Prep also won the Coal City tournament this season.
“We had a very good year,” said Tyrrell.
Against Orr, Ricobene had 13 points, while Reed added 12 points. Sutton finished with 10 points.
“This is absolutely the toughest Class 2A sectional in the state,” said Tyrrell. “Chicago Uplift lost to Orr and those teams were first or second in the Class 2A state rankings. It’s how it works out. I had a feeling with us hosting regionals that we would head toward the city this year. It was a great experience for us. Overall, this year was great and I’m thankful for the opportunity to coach these boys and be part of this program.”
Sutton’s season will continue later this week in Peoria. He was one of four competitors at Guerin who advanced to the state finals of the Class 2A three-point shooting contest. Sutton will shoot at Carver Arena in Peoria.Knights enjoy another outstanding season; Sutton headed to state 3-point shooting finals.
By Mike Miazga
Correspondent
The IC Catholic Prep boys basketball team ran into a tough Chicago Orr team and dropped a 66-44 decision in the semifinals of the recent Class 2A Guerin Prep sectional in River Grove.
Orr went on to defeat Chicago DePaul Prep for the sectional title and played in the Class 2A Joliet Central supersectional earlier this week for a chance to compete in the Class 2A state semifinals this weekend in Peoria.
“Orr is extremely athletic and had several guys who could jump out of the gym,” said IC Catholic Prep coach TJ Tyrrell. “They are a very physical and aggressive team with their pressure and traps. They have the firepower inside and out. My guess is they will be the Class 2A state champions before this is all finished. We started out a little slow against them and had several opportunities to keep it close. We didn’t hit some shots early on and had some unforced turnovers that led to momentum going in Orr’s favor. The closest we got was 14 in the second half.”
Tyrrell noted Luke Ricobene, Matt Sutton and Amari Reed all had strong games against Orr. “Luke, Matt and Amari really battled against Orr,” he said. “Things are very encouraging for us next year. We graduate only three seniors and four of our starters are juniors this year.”
Tyrrell thanked Sutton, Tony Gaudio and Galvin Gecsey for their contributions as senior leaders.
“We owe them a big thank-you,” he said.
The Knights finished the season 21-8 overall. IC Catholic Prep won the Metro Suburban Conference Blue Division title for the first time in that setup and won their third league title in five years. IC Catholic Prep also won its second Class 2A regional title in the last four years.
IC Catholic Prep’s sophomore team finished 17-7 overall, while the freshman squad was 18-9.
“The future is bright,” said Tyrrell. “The program is healthy and I’m very encouraged moving forward.”
Alex Meurer, Kevin Cheng and Reed earned all-MSC Blue honors—all three are juniors.
“Alex really stepped up for us down the stretch,” the coach pointed out. “He came into his own. In those close games he was in there getting rebounds and doing all the little things we needed to win.”
IC Catholic Prep also won the Coal City tournament this season.
“We had a very good year,” said Tyrrell.
Against Orr, Ricobene had 13 points, while Reed added 12 points. Sutton finished with 10 points.
“This is absolutely the toughest Class 2A sectional in the state,” said Tyrrell. “Chicago Uplift lost to Orr and those teams were first or second in the Class 2A state rankings. It’s how it works out. I had a feeling with us hosting regionals that we would head toward the city this year. It was a great experience for us. Overall, this year was great and I’m thankful for the opportunity to coach these boys and be part of this program.”
Sutton’s season will continue later this week in Peoria. He was one of four competitors at Guerin who advanced to the state finals of the Class 2A three-point shooting contest. Sutton will shoot at Carver Arena in Peoria.
