Reason to celebrate: Eagles’ state title game effort is lauded, applauded by fans creating sea of red

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The arena entrance was breath-taking, and the postgame exit was humbling.

Yet, the welcome the Liberty boys basketball team received in its own gym from a community that raced home from the University of Illinois’ State Farm Center following Saturday’s Class 1A state championship game made the experience complete.

“I wasn’t expecting a full parking lot like we had outside,” senior forward Logan Robbins said after the Eagles enjoyed a fire truck ride to the high school entrance after bringing home second place following a 54-41 loss to top-ranked Yorkville Christian. “That was kind of crazy.”

It’s a moment that can’t be replicated.

“It wasn’t first, but we got second and everyone still shows out,” senior guard Clayton Obert said. “That’s real nice of them.”

The community’s support for a team producing the best finish in program history was neverending.

It started Saturday morning when a throng of Liberty fans waited in 13-degree weather to enter State Farm Center and then flooded the arena with a sea of red.

“You take the ramp into the arend, and you look out and you’re thinking, ‘Wow, this gym is massive,’” Robbins said. “And to see the red everywhere — it’s not just specks, you can actually see it — that was pretty cool.”

That same sea of red waited to swallow the Eagles up in a celebratory embrace after the Eagles gave the Mustangs a tussle, a this-isn’t-like-your-other-walkovers kind of tussle few outside of the Liberty contingent saw coming.

Sparked by a stingy defensive effort, the Eagles grabbed the lead on Breiton Klingele’s layin with 3:06 remaining in the first quarter and held the advantage a good portion of a back-and-forth second quarter, using a Devin Klauser putback of a Cannen Wolf miss in the waning seconds to head to halftime leading 21-20.

A 7-2 run over the final three minutes of the third quarter gave the Mustangs the lead for good, and by the midpoint of the fourth quarter, they had extended the advantage to double digits.

Liberty didn’t have an answer, settling for pushing Yorkville Christian deeper into a game than any other postseason opponent. The Mustangs had won their previous six postseason games by no less than 34 points and the average margin of victory was 44 points.

Keeping it tight gave the Eagles a reason to enjoy the postgame ceremony, not dwell on the loss. So they smiled, waved and implored the crowd to get loud as they received their second-place medals following a 30-6 season.

“At that moment, instead of having self-pity, and while seeing these people who drove two hours or three hours just to watch us play, I thought I should and the team should show some thankfulness,” Robbins said. “So we embraced it.”

The fans did, too. When the Eagles finished their postgame responsibilities and gathered their gear, they exited State Farm Center through the players entrance and walked up the exit ramp to the parking lot.

As they did, a thunderous ovation overwhelmed them as their family, friends and fans stood at the top of the ramp.

“We didn’t expect that at all,” Obert said. “We were in there for probably an hour, so they were waiting for us that long in the cold. It was freezing out today. That was so nice. It was incredible.”

The effort was, too. Yorkville Christian hadn’t scored less than 71 points in a postseason game prior to Saturday, but the Mustangs were limited to 4-of-14 shooting from 3-point range in the first half and Duke recruit Jaden Schutt was limited to five points.

Yet, Yorkville Christian coach Aaron Sovern didn’t seem fazed.

“We couldn’t shoot worse than we did,” Sovern said. “We had to get more movement. We were standing too much.”

The long arms of Liberty’s frontcourt — the 6-foot-6 Devin Klauser, the 6-foot-5 Robbins and the 6-foot-4 Klingele — caused havoc, too, until Yorkville Christian started attacking the paint.

“Basketball is a game of runs and we understood we came out slow,” Mustangs senior guard KJ Vasser said. “But we had to stay with it.”

The Mustangs missed their first five shots of the second half — all 3-pointers — but their next six made field goals all came at the rim, either off penetration or putbacks. It changed the entire tone of the game.

“We had to turn it up a notch,” said Schutt, who finished with 12 points.

Despite trailing by double digits a majority of the fourth quarter, Liberty pulled within 48-41 with two minutes remaining on Wolf’s jumper, but Yorkville Christian finished on a 6-0 run to cap the first state championship in school history.

Wolf finished with 15 points and four assists for the Eagles, while Klauser had 13 points. Obert didn’t score in 28 minutes player, but he had nine rebounds, three assists and two steals in an effort that epitomized what made the Eagles successful.

Everyone contributed.

“We had a great year, and we gave it our best,” Wolf said. “This team accomplished a lot.”