By Zach Mikrut ‘25

Since the beginning of Brother Rice basketball, no Crusader could say they had made it downstate. That all changed on March 10, when Brother Rice defeated Peoria, 60-41.

This game wasn’t like any Friday night on 99th and Pulaski; it meant more than basketball to not just the team, but the entire Brother Rice community. This was a game we had not played in 20 years and one we had never won.

During school that Monday morning, this was the only thing I heard throughout the entire building. Everything from conversations about whether or not they were going to the game to discussions about the theme for the famous “Crusader Crazies.”

After our pregame prayer in the chapel, we walked out the doors to see a huge motor bus waiting for us. This game wasn’t going to be played anywhere close. Instead, we were traveling south to Pontiac, Illinois. The drive would take about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

When we arrived, I remember seeing only cornfields and farm sheds, definitely the perfect place for a Super-Sectional game. On the other hand, the basketball gym was very impressive, with large stands on both sides of the court and a huge scoreboard.

In addition, the locker room atmosphere was stone cold. We were blasting “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins, doing our pregame stretches, and talking over the game plan one last time before stepping on the court.

Senior Jack Walker said, “You can tell the entire team wanted to win this game so badly. Throughout the entire weekend, this is all we thought about.”

As we ran onto the court, all we could see was a sea of orange built by the “Crusader Crazies.” Emotions were high as the entire crowd was fired up for a battle for a chance to go to the state finals. 

Senior Max Justic said, “The atmosphere in Pontiac was unreal. Even though we were so far away, it felt like we had a home-court advantage from all the support we had.”

The Crusaders played like they were at home, too, leading the entire game. Senior Marcos Gonzales scored 21 points, senior Jack Weigus had 19 points, and the team played tough defense.

Senior John Mikrut said, “Ever since our summer camp in June, we talked about going to Champaign. It feels good to see all of our hard work pay off.”

However, we are not done just yet. We have two more games to make our dreams come true.

See you in Champaign.

Photo Credits: Josh Torres ‘25