Homewood-Flossmoor High School junior Bryce Heard summed up the boys basketball team’s season.
“We were ring chasing all year,” Heard said.
On Saturday, March 9, the team caught the ring, winning the school’s first state basketball championship with a 60-48 win in the Class 4A title game over Normal Community.
The game started fast with guard Jayden Tyler sinking a three-pointer 3 seconds into the game. Tyler closed out the first quarter with three free throws, giving the Vikings a 21-16 lead.
Normal Community held a one-point lead midway through the first quarter, 12-11, but the Vikings regained the lead and never let it go.
In an interview at halftime, with the Vikings ahead 31-23, Head Coach Jamere Dismukes told a TV reporter that his team was playing with intensity.
“This is a tough team,” he said. “Our word for the year was resiliency. They are playing like they want to win.”