Waukegan's pressure, chemistry prove to be winning mix

Bulldogs overcome early deficit in blowout win over Stevenson

Stevenson did a good job of staying with the Waukegan boys basketball team in the first half Tuesday night.

But Waukegan’s relentless defensive pressure and good team chemistry caused the Patriots to learn the hard way that it takes more than just a solid first half to have a chance against the Bulldogs.

Waukegan, the top seed in its own sectional, defeated No. 5seed Stevenson 68-52 in the sectional semifinals.

After Stevenson led throughout most of the first half, Waukegan (24-4) went on a 16-0 run near the end of the first half and into the third quarter, turning a 25-23 deficit into a 39-25 lead.

“We cleaned up things a lot in the second half,” said Quan Connor, who led Waukegan with 20 points. “We knew that if we stayed together as a team and played together on defense, things would turn around for us.”

Connor scored seven of those 16 points, while Akeem Springs added five during the run. The Bulldogs also got a jumper from Aaron Johnson and a pair from the line from Jereme Richmond.  Stevenson never got closer than 39-28 the rest of the way, while Waukegan increased its lead to as much as 20 on two separate occasions.

The Bulldogs’ pressure on defense once again helped lead a turnaround and took Stevenson completely out of its offensive rhythm.

“I think we’re good as a defense and good as a team because we’re very close off the court,” said Richmond, who scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half. “We have each other’s back and that closeness carries over for us, not just on the offensive end but on defense as well.”

During the first half, Waukegan was certainly challenged by Stevenson. The Patriots were successful guarding star Richmond, triple-teaming him on a few occasions, and held him without a field goal. But the Patriots’ biggest lead of the first half was only a 13-8 first-quarter advantage. A big reason for that was Connor, who had 10 first-half points.

“They outrebounded us early and made it tough to get to the basket,” Connor said. “But we have a lot of guys who are capable of beating you. And with Jereme being tripled, I stepped up and so did the rest of the team. This team is a family that has great chemistry and we stick together no matter what’s happening in the game.”

Despite Richmond not getting a field goal in the first half, Waukegan coach Ron Ashlaw still gave him a lot of credit for how he performed in the game.

“Jereme works so hard to get us opportunities in the post,” Ashlaw said. “I don’t know if I’ve seen a player work harder down low. He takes a beating down there, but he opens up opportunities as well. And we have some very dangerous weapons that can step up.”

With the win, Waukegan advances to the sectional final to face the winner of Wednesday’s semifinal between No. 2 seed Deerfield or No. 13 Schaumburg. Waukegan has beaten Deerfield twice this season, 57-47 and 93-87 in overtime.

“Deerfield’s a great team, but this is just another game for us,” Richmond said. “We’re playing on our home court and we don’t plan on losing. So if we face them, they better come ready to play.”