Stephens, Suns power through to capture program’s first sectional title in 30 years

ABINGDON, Ill. — Late in the first half Friday night, Danny Stephens turned to the bench and tugged at his jersey, signaling he needed a break.

The breather never came for the Southeastern standout forward, but that didn’t stop him from powering the Suns to a dazzling finish and 45-34 victory over Peoria Christian in the championship game of the Class 1A Abingdon Sectional.

The 6-foot-7 junior played all 32 minutes, scored the game’s final 10 points and ended with 24 points and 11 rebounds, sending Southeastern to its first sectional title since 1992.

“A second wind, I guess,” said Stephens, who scored all 12 of the Suns’ fourth-quarter points.

The Suns (30-4) held Peoria Christian (26-7) to just 11 points after halftime, three in the fourth quarter and scoreless for the final 6:49 after the Chargers had closed to within 35-34.

“Coach (Brett Ufkes) told us at halftime if we don’t pick up our defense that it could get ugly,” said senior Ramsey Fry, who finished with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting and three assists. “So we listened to him.”

Peoria Christian led the entire first half, but was 4 of 19 from the field in the final two quarters and was outrebounded 16-8 by the Suns after halftime.

“We got a couple of rolls that didn’t go our way in the second half,” Chargers coach Jason Persinger said. “They finished some buckets, and we missed some open looks. At the end of the day, it’s a make-or-miss game.”

Stephens, who had scored 39 and 32 points in the previous two games, was held off the board in the first quarter while going up against Peoria Christian 6-8 forward Wes Hunt. Hunt knocked down three first-quarter 3-pointers and totaled 17 first-half points. Meanwhile, the energy Stephens had to exert on both ends clearly took a toll on him, leading to his plea to the bench in the first half for a break. 

“I was just out of breath. But (Ufkes) said, ‘Just keep fighting, keep fighting,’” Stephens said. “And so I did, and then we came out in the second half and put it on them.”

Stephens was more aggressive off the dribble after halftime against Hunt and the Chargers’ 2-3 zone. Defensively, he clamped down on Hunt, whose only two points of the second half came on a fastbreak slam.

“(Stephens) is a tough guard for Wes,” Ufkes said. “Wes is a great player, but so is Danny Stephens. He gave Wes trouble putting the ball on the floor in the second half and got some points and some easy baskets for us.”

And the ones Stephens didn’t get to go in were cleaned up by the Suns, who had 10 of their 24 rebounds on the offensive end. Kyle O’Neal put back a Stephens miss for a 31-29 advantage in the third quarter, and Eli Leasman added another with 35 seconds left in the period.

“I always tell the kids, ‘I know you have Danny Stephens, but you can’t assume he’s going to get every rebound.’” Ufkes said. “Those other kids did a good job of scrapping and getting their hands on some rebounds so we could get another possession.”

The 30th win of the season for Southeastern resulted in the first super-sectional appearance for the Suns in 30 years, when they finished fourth in the state. They’ll face Liberty at 7 p.m. Monday at the Jacksonville Bowl with a trip to the state semifinals on the line.

“That’s surreal,” Ufkes said moments after cutting down the net. “It’s my eighth year. I’ve had some tough seasons. To get this far and be one of eight teams left to have a shot at a state title is a blessing. It’s a humbling experience.”