Stagg and Shepard lost a combined 46 regular season games this season, but none of that mattered on Monday in Palos Heights. The state tournament has begun.
“Win or go home,” Shepard’s Jovan Thomas said. “We aren’t trying to go home.”
Thomas, a 6-9 senior, exploded onto the scene out of nowhere early in the season. His size and left-handedness took opponents by surprise.
“I’m pretty sure people watch film now but in the beginning, I was having 20 and 30-point games back to back,” Thomas said. “They couldn’t stop me.”
Stagg wasn’t able to stop Thomas on Monday. He finished with 15 points and 17 rebounds to help lead the Astros to a 56-53 victory against Stagg in the Class 4A regional quarterfinals.
“[Thomas] has been a force for us,” Shepard coach Corey Wolf said. “He’s been much more than I expected when I took the job.”
Senior guard Aurion Lee-Barnes scored 19 for the Astros (14-18) and 6-8 freshman Amari Williams added 10 points and nine rebounds. Williams opened eyes at some fall camps and entered high school as one of the state’s most hyped freshmen.
“At first it was a lot of pressure,” Williams said. “But as the season went on I got used to it and helped my team win games.”
According to Wolf, Thomas was instrumental in helping Williams adjust to varsity.
“Jovan played a big role,” Wolf said. “But you haven’t seen anything yet from [Williams]. He’s so talented and is going to bring so much. He’s playing his best now. At the beginning of the year with all the expectations it was challenging. But he’s growing into himself.”
Shepard led 48-39 after three quarters but Stagg charged back and cut the deficit to 54-53 on Isaiah Jimenez’s three-pointer with 3:07 left.
Neither team managed a field goal from then on. Shepard shot 2-for-6 from the free-throw line in the final minute, but Stagg was unable to take advantage.
The Chargers (1-29) were much better on Monday than their record indicates. Stagg lost the first 28 games of the season but then beat Bremen on Thursday. That was the first game back from injury for senior Domas Narcevicius.
“We knew [Narcevicius] was going to be a big part for them,” Thomas said. “He can shoot the ball and he’s a big body. It’s kind of hard to guard him.”
Narcevicius finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. Dovydas Zuperka, a 6-7 sophomore, added 10 points for Stagg.
Shepard advances to the regional semifinals and will face top-seed Homewood-Flossmoor on Wednesday at Romeoville.
“It feels good,” Thomas said. “That’s my first playoff win.”