Heartbreaking Loss for Jane Addams Eighth-Graders at Basketball Sectional

Submitted by Valley View School District:

A gutty 8th grade Jane Addams Middle School boys basketball squad came within an eyelash of making the IESA Class 4A state quarterfinals Wednesday night.

Before an overflow crowd at Addams that included three busloads of students from Sterling, the Mustangs (18-5) battled the Warriors (19-3) all the way before falling 47-45. Sterling moves on to meet either Peotone or Matteson Saturday at the state quarters in Urbana.

Coach Josh Gage’s squad twice battled back from six-point deficits in the final four minutes of the game to pull within two points thanks to four free throws by Mustangs star Joseph Yesufu who led all scorers with 23 points. But his charity tosses with 1:47 left in the game would be the last points scored by either team.

The Mustangs got out of the gate quickly taking a 13-6 lead thanks to a pair of 3-pointers by Yesufu, a Tariq Griffin layup off a nifty pass from Yesufu and Keon Williams’ drive. But Sterling switched to a zone defense late in the first period allowing them to pull within one at 15-14.

Griffin (4 points) assisted on a Taha Khan (2 points) layup and a Williams (8 points) jumper to help Addams to a 23-19 lead with 2:34 left but a Yesufu free throw was all the Mustangs could manage the rest of the second period giving Sterling a 26-24 advantage.

Darius Burford (5 points) hit one from the corner and then converted on a drive and free throw with 3:33 left in the third quarter to give Addams its last lead of the game at 33-32. The Warriors led 38-37 after three.

Jane Addams didn’t score until the 3:50 mark of the fourth quarter when Brandon Jorman (3 points) made a bucket.

Other Mustangs team members include Myles Cooper, Kobe Foster, Josh Madsen, Fernando Dominguez, Santana Smith, Terrell Washington and Rico Wardlow.