The Patriots took down conference rival the Libertyville Wildcats 58-40 on Feb. 9 in the penultimate game of the regular season. The win improves Stevensons record to 19-8 on the year and secured their spot in the IHSA playoffs in the coming weeks.
The Patriots offense shone in this game with a variety of scorers highlighted by Aidan Bardic ’25 who finished the night with 20, with 10 in the third alone. Jack Dabbs ’24 and Armand Burris ’24 also played key roles in the win, with 12 and nine points respectively.
Burris started the night hot, having made Stevenson’s first three baskets on midrange fadeaways and layups making the score 6-4 early on. However, Libertyville countered quickly and two buckets from both Liam Hansen and Ben Van Lyssel saw the Patriots trailing 15-8 at the end of the quarter.
Going into the second quarter, the Patriots began to find their groove with six different scorers amounting to a 20 point quarter from Stevenson. Despite the best efforts from Van Lyssel trying to get the Wildcats back into the game, the Patriots had a solid second quarter on both ends of the ball and just like that, Stevenson took a 28-22 lead going into the half.
“We came out a little flat in the beginning and gave up some easy buckets,” head coach William Benson said. “In the second half, [Burris] did a great job minimizing their opportunities and was key in the win.”
It was a stale opening to the second half until Dabbs broke the ice, finishing a left-handed layup with 6:14 to go in the third. Then, Bardic went on a tear making two 3-pointers and two more field goals which gave him 1010 of Stevenson’s 18 points in the quarter. Benson made critical adjustments in the locker room, enabling the Patriots to be in the driver’s seat heading into the fourth.
“We talked about [how] we could limit the amount of shots they were putting up and hold them to 40,” Benson said. “It would [improve] our chances of winning and we were able to do that.”
A slow final period of regulation saw the Patriots close the game out, defeating the Wildcats 58-40. Bardic, who ended the game with eight field goals including three 3-pointers, wants the team to continue pushing as they head into the closing week of the regular season.
“We really have to dial in and focus on this last game of the season.” Bardic said. “Last season we were in the same position and we really need to make sure that we remain concentrated heading into the playoffs.”
Stevenson will stay at home to take on Mundelein on Wednesday, Feb. 14, followed by a week off before their state playoff run begins. They will take on 13-13 South Elgin at Mount Prospect High School at 6 p.m. on Feb. 21. Although their spot in the playoffs is secured, Benson still wants the team to take it one game at a time.
“We’re not in the playoffs yet, we still have to face Mundelein on Wednesday so we will deal with that first,” Benson said. “You try to get better every week, and since our 4-4 start we’ve been 15-4 since, so the kids have done a great job all year working hard.”
