Stevenson Ends Season at Mundelein Regional

Those seniors always have a greater sense of urgency. They know when it could be their last high school game ever.

And with Stevenson (15-13) trailing by double digits at Mundelein on Tuesday night, that surge of energy went through senior Johnny Ricchio. With a half a minute to play in the third quarter, Ricchio had no points to report.

He would score 11 points in the final eight minutes of Stevenson's final game of the season. Home-standing Mundelein won its 26th game of the year and edged the Patriots 66-57 in a regional contest.

"I knew this could be my last game,'' Ricchio said. "I knew I had to get to the rim and make sure I finished."

On another dash to the hoop by Ricchio, that Mundelein lead was down to one 3-pointer at 47-44. That's as close as the Pats would come in the fourth quarter.

"Johnny did a very good job,'' said Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose. "He had a lot of energy."

Ricchio gave credit to his new look for his sudden burst of scoring. He decided to  drop the mask that protected his injured nose.

"I finally took it off,'' he said. "I was more confident."

On a Colby Cashaw (10 points) drive and bucket, the underdog Patriots opened a quick 10-5 lead. However, Mundelein went to halftime up 29-25.

"We just couldn't put the ball in the hole,'' Ambrose said. "And then they got hot. That's a tough team."

Mundelein star Ryan Sawvell opened the second half with a vicious dunk. That ignited the Mustangs, who opened up a 46-33 late in the third quarter.

"He's a good emotional player,'' Ambrose said.

Joining Ricchio in playing his last game as a Patriot was Ryan Chapman. His final bucket of his career came from 3-point range. Chapman finished with 12 points.

"As a three-year varsity player he gets it,'' Ambrose said. "What a high-quality individual."

Junior Michael Fleming added 11 points. Kevin Earl, another senior, had 8 points.

"We had great group of guys,'' Ricchio said. "We were all close and had a good time. It was a rollercoaster, but the highs outweighed the lows."

Recap: Chapman was the hero on Monday night. He had 20 points in Stevenson's 61-41 rout of Grant in the regional opener. Fleming chipped in 12 points. Also helping the cause were Earl (11 points) and Cashaw (10 points).

Ambrose completed his 12th season as head of this team. He should get help from a sophomore team that won 16 games this winter.