Warren junior guard Braylon Walker wasn’t going to forget how last season ended.
Even if Walker and his teammates weren’t back in the same game on the same court on Monday night, he would have remembered.
“After we lost, we talked about that moment every day last summer,” Walker said. “We put in the work, the effort, and we were determined to get back here and finish the job. We played with a chip on our shoulders. That was a long bus ride home.”
With the same prize on the line — a berth in the Class 4A state semifinals — Walker answered the bell on both ends of the court as the Blue Devils beat Marquette recruit Ian Miletic and Rolling Meadows 60-48 in the NIU Supersectional at the Convocation Center in DeKalb.
The 6-foot-3 Walker scored 11 points and was one of four players in double figures for Warren (26-10), which had lost 55-53 to Palatine in the supersectional last year but advances to play Rich Township (25-8) in the state semifinals at the State Farm Center in Champaign at 7:45 p.m. Friday.
Senior center Zach Ausburn, who was coming off a huge game against Waukegan in the sectional final, and sophomore guard Jaxson Davis each scored 14 points the the Blue Devils, and senior guard Javerion Banks added 13.
But Walker’s most consequential role was the yeoman’s work he did defensively against the 6-7 Miletic. After scoring 70 points in Rolling Meadows’ previous two games, Miletic was held to a more manageable 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting.
Walker switched to Miletic after senior forward Jack Wolf was called for his second foul late in the first quarter.
“I watched a lot of film on him, and I know Ian pretty well,” Walker said. “We work out together at the same gym four times a week, and I played with him growing up. He’s very skilled.
“I knew I couldn’t overreach or overplay him, and he tried to take advantage of me in the post. I had to be very physical with a guy like him, pressure him, make him uncomfortable.”
Walker did exactly that, and while Rolling Meadows (30-5) had to work for everything on its offensive end, Walker exhibited a particularly strong offensive game as well. His controlled assertiveness contributed to the Blue Devils’ game-long efficiency and helped keep the Mustangs on their heels.
“Braylon was aggressive on offense, got to the basket and didn’t force it,” Warren coach Zack Ryan said. “He made good passes, and he and Jaxson both played really good floor games.
“When you have guards like we have when you have a lead, you can pull teams out and take some air out of it.”
The Blue Devils were in position to do that because they were essentially in control the entire game. They never trailed and led by as many as 18 points midway through the second quarter.
The Mustangs put together a run that trimmed the lead to 34-30 in the third quarter. But Warren hit back with a 12-0 burst, which Walker started with a 3-point play and two free throws on back-to-back possessions.
“They overplayed Jaxson, face-guarding him, so I knew there would be an opportunity to score,” Walker said. “Especially in the third quarter when they went on a run, I played with the mindset there that I’m not going home this time without a win.”
That mindset was apparent in Walker’s level of activity, which is nothing new. He also had four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
“I do whatever I need to do to help us win,” he said. “Today, I needed to do more scoring. In other games, like last game, I had to play my best defensively. Each game, my role is different.”
Warren knew all along that he would have a big role for Warren, but he was sidelined for much of December with mononucleosis and flu. Combined with the even longer absence of Banks, who was out after surgery, there was a long stretch of the season when the Blue Devils struggled.
“That really knocked me down for a while, and it took me a few weeks to get myself back to feeling like myself,” Walker said. “We had a really hard schedule, too, so that led to us having to definitely fight through some adversity.”
A team is better equipped to handle adversity when someone like Walker is at his best. No one knows that better than Davis, who has played with Walker since the two were growing up.
“For Braylon to guard (Miletic) like he did and produce on the offensive end, that was big-time,” Davis said. “I’ve been playing with him all my life, and that’s my brother, no matter what happens.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all that he showed his best when it mattered.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
