CHICAGO – Once again, Chicagoland was well represented at the IHSA State Basketball Championships in Champaign this weekend.

Six teams that are from the area made it to the final four of their respective class, with one of those teams coming home with a state champion with two others making the title game.

A title for DePaul Prep

A year after reaching the state finals and finishing third, DePaul Prep finished the job this time over the course of two strong games at the State Farm Center.

In Class 2A, the Rams crushed Teutopolis 45-17 in the semifinals Thursday and then knocked off Bloomington Central Catholic 65-41 in the championship on Friday for their first state championship.

Four members of the Rams scored in double digits in that championship contest, with Maurice Thomas leading the way with 21.

DePaul Prep was welcomed home with a state title celebration at the north side school on Monday.

A finale for Robert Smith at Simeon

It was the end of an era in Class 3A for Chicago power Simeon High School as head coach Robert Smith coached his final games at the school after 20 years.

The Wolverines defeated St. Ignatius College Prep from Chicago 62-40 in the semifinal on Friday but lost to Metamora 46-42 in overtime in Saturday’s championship game.

Simeon finished the season with a 31-4 record as Smith completed his impressive run at the school in which he won six state championships.

St. Ignatius College Prep would lose in the third place game to East St. Louis to finish their season 24-13.

Benet gets 2nd, New Trier 3rd, Downers Grove North 4th

Class 4A had plenty of Chicagoland representation in 2023 with three of the four teams coming from the area.

That included Benet Academy, who entered the state finals in Champaign with just one loss on the season. They defeated New Trier 64-49 in the semifinals on Friday to advance to the championship but would lose to Moline in that contest on Saturday 59-42.

The Redwings finish the season at 35-2 as they finished second in the state for the third time in program history.

In the third place game, New Trier beat Downers Grove North 53-34 for their highest finish in the state tournament since 1973. The Trevians finished the season 32-5.

As for the Trojans, who entered the tournament on a 19-game winning streak, they finished the season with a 32-5 record and a fourth place finish.