CHAMPAIGN, IL—DePaul Prep played without its two best players, Jaylan McElroy and Payton Kamin, for almost the entire regular season.
The two juniors returned from injuries shortly before the playoffs began, which instantly turned the Rams into Class 2A state championship contenders.
DePaul Prep kept its head above water without the two stars, but Thursday at the State Farm Center was a different story. The Rams dominated Teutopolis 45-17 in the Class 2A semifinals.
DePaul Prep (22-12) led by eight at halftime and shut down the Wooden Shoes (28-8) in the second half. Teutopolis managed just eight field goals in the game and didn’t score for the final 10:40.
“We were a little timid offensively,” Wooden Shoes coach Chet Reeder said. “We didn’t look to really attack. We were just tip toing around and feeling it out. We had some shots rattle in and out and it snowballed on us.”
Maurice Thomas, who was DePaul Prep’s backbone all season, led the way with 16 points. McElroy added 10 points and six rebounds. Kamin finished with six points and junior PJ Chambers contributed seven points and five rebounds.
The Rams lost in the state semifinals last season.
“It was a major learning experience,” Thomas said. “It helped everyone overall. We came up with a better mentality this time. Last year we came in thinking we had won it all already. We know all these teams are very good down here.”
James Niebrugge led Teutopolis with eight points. The Wooden Shoes were 8 for 32 shooting and had 16 turnovers.
DePaul Prep will face the Rockridge vs. Bloomington Central Catholic winner in the Class 2A championship game on Saturday.
