Taste of Champaign: Klauser’s play speaks volumes as Liberty eclipses Southeastern for spot in Class 1A state semifinals

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — Devin Klauser likely has never been in trouble for talking in class at Liberty High School.

The senior is a guy of few words.

Very, very few words.

“He’s kind of shy,” Eagles teammate Cannen Wolf said, with the expected grin.

The 6-foot-6 Klauser let his performance on the floor do his talking Monday night, helping power Liberty past Southeastern 49-42 in the Class 1A Jacksonville Super-Sectional in front of a standing-room-only crowd of about 1,900 at the iconic Jacksonville Bowl, which seats 1,657.

Klauser scored a game-high 21 points and reeled in 10 rebounds, helping Liberty reach its first state tournament since 2016.

Klauser, however, politely declined any interviews afterward, offering only, “I just wonder who’s next?”

That would be Scales Mound, which defeated Chicago Marshall 55-41 in the finals of the DeKalb Super-Sectional at Northern Illinois University.

Liberty (30-5) will face Scales Mound (35-2) at 11:45 a.m. Thursday in Champaign at State Farm Center.

While Klauser eschewed any postgame conversations with the media, Eagles coach Greg Altmix was extremely willing to talk about his double-double performance.

Altmix felt it was arguably Klauser’s finest overall showing of the season, and could not have come at a more opportune time. Two of Liberty’s chief offensive threats, Breiton Klingele and Logan Robbins, were busy most of the night concentrating on rebounding and defense.

They were integral pieces of Liberty’s collective effort to contain Southeastern’s Danny Stephens, the Suns’ 6-7 junior wunderkind who entered the game averaging 28.7 points and 10.7 rebounds.

Stephens finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, but had just seven points and two rebounds in the second half.

“That’s the first time Danny’s been held under 20 points this season,” Suns coach Brett Ufkes said.

Southeastern (30-5) had won 27 straight games with Stephens in the lineup, dating to last year’s pandemic-shortened season. He also missed 16 games this season with a broken thumb.

Stephens entered the game with the hype, but Klauser wound up stealing the headlines.

Klauser even dropped in his first 3-point field goal of the season, a second-quarter swish that helped Liberty take control of the game. The Eagles built a 27-21 edge by intermission, a margin that could have been much larger if not for an 8-0 Southeastern run just before halftime.

Altmix was excited to talk about Klauser’s 3-pointer, which was arched from the left wing.

“We never had to have him shoot a three before, but we needed him to do that tonight (to keep Southeastern’s defense honest),” Altmix said. “He understands he can take a three, but we still need to have him be strong on defense around the basket and rebound. We told him if the defense sagged off him (which it did), to go ahead and shoot the three.”

Klingele and Robbins served as silent — but effective — enforcers much of the night. Klingele led all rebounders with 12 and Robbins followed Stephens all over the court on defense. Normally, Klingele and Robbins combine for 23 points per game on offense, but on this night they contributed just seven. They had other concerns.

“It was our defense again that made the difference,” said Klingele, a 6-4 senior who missed his junior year with a leg injury.

Klingele’s heroics on the board spurred Liberty’s decisive 32-15 rebounding margin. 

Robbins, who admitted his offense was a distant second on his list of priorities against Southeastern, was reminded of his quote earlier in the postseason when he said Liberty still had “memories to make.”

“I’m thankful for this opportunity we have,” Robbins said. “And … we still have more memories to make.”

Altmix gushed about Robbins’ effort off the ball against Stephens.

“Logan relished that challenge, and concentrated (almost solely) on his defense,” Altmix said.

Southeastern was able to mount a challenge to Liberty early in the third period when it crept within 29-27, but the Eagles rattled off nine straight points for a 38-27 advantage and the Suns never got closer than five the remainder of the game.

“Liberty’s depth was a key,” said Ufkes, who also got 10 points from Ramsey Fry. “They had up to 10 players they use, and we only go with five or six guys.”

Wolf seconded Klauser in the Eagles’ scoring column with 12 points, and was one happy camper afterward. 

“This is beyond words,” he said. “It feels like a rollercoaster going downhill … and we’re still not done.”