By Bobby Narang
Glenbard West High School senior center Braden Huff raised his hands up in the air in excitement late on Saturday night.
After scoring 19 points, hitting two 3-pointers and dishing out five assists, Huff was ready to celebrate a season-long goal. Huff was a driving force in the best season in program history by combining with teammate Paxton Warden for 40 points to lead the Hilltoppers to a 56-34 romp over city powerhouse Young in the Class 4A state championship game at State Farm Center in Champaign.
The 6-foot-11 Huff, a Gonzaga University recruit, was the leader on an iconic team that capped a sensational season with another blowout victory over Young. The Hilltoppers (37-1) will go down as one of the best teams in the history of the State by capping a magical season with program’s first State championship.
The Hilltoppers’ dominance was complete, the 30th double-digit win of the season in 38 games without a loss to a team from the State.
“We stayed focused throughout the season and stayed really determined to finally accomplish our goal,” Huff said. “To be compared with other great teams, it’s really special.”
Prior to last season, Glenbard West was widely known throughout the State as a football school. But after Saturday’s epic conclusion to a memorable season, the Hilltoppers’ basketball team added another championship to the school’s hardware.
“If a group comes together for a common goal, anything is possible,” Glenbard West head coach Jason Opoka said. “If you put the hard work and dedication in at anything in life, you can achieve that.”
On a team with five Division I college players, Huff, Warden (Illinois walk-on), Ryan Renfro (Army), Caden Pierce (Princeton) and Bobby Durkin, who has numerous offers after decommitting from Army earlier this season, the Hilltoppers flexed their muscles and showed why they belong among the best ever in the State in the two-day 4A tournament.
The tall Hilltoppers cruised to the State championship by defeating Bolingbrook, 77-47, in the State semifinals. Durkin, a senior forward, canned seven three-pointers for a game-high 30 points, Huff added 20 points and Renfro cleaned up inside with eight points, 10 rebounds, and four steals to stop the Raiders. The Hilltoppers’ 1-3-1 defense overwhelmed Bolingbrook.
“You can prepare all you want, and get pool noodles, and you can do all the stuff that we did, but until you see it on the floor live, it’s a different beast,” Bolingbrook head coach Rob Brost said of Glenbard West’s height and 1-3-1 defense. “When they are hitting shots like they were tonight, it becomes impossible…They’re really good.”
Under the first-year State format, Bolingbrook (30-8) was forced to come right back to the State Farm Center to play the third-place game later that night. Barrington, which lost to Young in the semifinals, knocked off the Raiders 59-54 to earn the third-place trophy.
Barrington (29-5) claimed its first State trophy, led by Daniel Hong and Will Grudzinski each scoring 15 points.
“I’m just proud of our guys and proud to be the coach at Bolingbrook,” Brost said.