Wires, Blue Devils putting best foot forward in search of trip to state final four

QUINCY — Each time Kamren Wires stood up to walk, the pain surged through his left foot and ankle, and that cast further doubt on the possibility he’d play anymore this postseason.

“The doctors said I was out for three or four weeks, and I believed them,” said the Quincy High School boys basketball team’s senior point guard, who suffered a high ankle sprain in the second quarter of last Tuesday’s sectional semifinal victory over Alton. “I believed I was done.”

That was until he looked at his phone.

There he found the inspiration to expedite his recovery.

It was a picture of Normal Community celebrating its victory over Quincy in last season’s sectional championship in Pekin. Wires made that picture the home screen on his iPhone and hadn’t changed it since the season began. In fact, he only changed it once in the last year.

“When the AAU season started, I took it off,” said Wires, who played a significant role in last Friday’s 61-54 victory over Normal Community in  the Class 4A Collinsville Sectional title game. “I had to learn how to let something go. Playing with so much anger wasn’t good. I had to let it go. But when our high school season began, I had to bring it back. I had to come back with that same fire.”

He approached his return from the injury with that same gusto. And he’ll tackle Monday’s task of helping the Blue Devils reach the final four for the first time in more than a quarter century in much the same way.

The Blue Devils (31-3) face Lisle Benet Academy (30-5) at 7:30 p.m. at CEFCU Arena on the Illinois State University campus in the Class 4A Normal Super-Sectional. The winner heads to the state semifinals Friday night at State Farm Center in Champaign.

Quincy hasn’t been there since finishing third at the Class AA state tournament in 1998 — the last of the 13 state trophies the program has won. The Blue Devils have not endured a longer trophy drought since winning their first hardware with the 1934 state championship.

“We’re not finished yet,” senior forward Keshaun Thomas said. “We have more to accomplish.”

Having a healthy lineup certainly helps.

Wires was helped off the floor last Tuesday night without putting any pressure on his left foot. He exited Vergil Fletcher Gym on crutches, believing the worst had happened.

“I genuinely thought I broke my foot or I tore ligaments,” he said.

A doctor visit Wednesday morning confirmed it was neither, but a quick return was unlikely.

“When they told me it was just a high sprain, I was like, ‘What? OK, so I kinda do have a shot,’” Wires said. “The trainers and all the doctors I was going to made a difference. I got the best treatment you can get.”

Wires underwent laser therapy on his ankle twice per day, took vitamin pills and did exercises prescribed by both athletic trainer Gary Hackmann and team doctor Adam Derhake.

In a matter of time, the pain subsided enough to walk and then run.

“It just started not to hurt as bad,” Wires said. “I’m not taking many Tylenol or ibuprofen. I’m trying to be as natural as possible and do what the trainers and doctors tell me.”

He showed up last Thursday at practice and was able to put pressure on the foot and ankle, leading Quincy coach Andy Douglas to pencil Wires into the starting lineup. By the time the team arrived at Vergil Fletcher Gym on Friday, Wires walked without a limp or any noticeable difference.

So there was no reason not to start him and play him.

“We didn’t question his toughness,” Douglas said. “We knew if he could play he was going to try and play. These guys are competitors and they’re not going to want to sit out. For him to come back and give us his best effort, it gave a little push to all of our guys.”

There were moments when the ankle noticeably bothered him, like the wayward free-throw attempt that missed entirely to the left of the rim.

“My ankle completely gave out,” Wires said. “I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh.’”

But he gathered himself, got his feet under him and made crucial plays when it mattered most.

None were bigger than the play at the end of overtime with the Blue Devils leading 57-54.

With Normal’s Trey Burditt bringing the ball into the frontcourt, Wires used his left hand to knock the ball loose, dove to corral it and called timeout to preserve the possession. Wires proceeded to draw a foul and make both free throws with 9.4 seconds left to seal the victory.

“He made massive plays,” Douglas said. “Massive plays.”

More will be needed against a massive team. Benet Academy will employ a frontcourt consisting of 7-foot-2 Colin Stack, 6-foot-9 Daniel Pauliukonis and 6-foot-7 Edvardas Stasys as it tries to reach the final four for the second time in three years. The Redwings lost to Moline in the state title game in 2023.

“This is what we’ve been playing for our entire careers,” Wires said. “This opportunity. We have to make the most of it.”