Junior guard Jayden Wright recorded 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds as Benet edged Warren 55-54 in the Class 4A state championship game at the State Farm Center in Champaign on Saturday night.
Sophomore forward Edvardas Stasys tipped away Warren’s last-second inbounds pass to clinch the victory for the Redwings (33-5), who won their first state title in their fourth appearance in the final, all under coach Gene Heidkamp.
Senior forward Daniel Pauliukonis, a Southern Illinois commit, scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half for Benet. Senior guard Blake Fagbemi, whose older brother Brayden was one of the leaders of the Benet team that lost to Moline in the 2023 state final, added 10 of his 14 points in the second half.
Senior guard Javerion Banks paced the Blue Devils (27-11) with 22 points, five rebounds and two steals, and sophomore guard Jaxson Davis had 17 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and four steals.
This story will be updated.
