Beacon Academy Boys Basketball Advances to the Conference Finals

This week became Beacon Academy’s Boys Basketball Team’s redemption song of sorts. On Monday, February 5 Beacon defeated Horizon Science Academy-McKinley Park, 59-31 in the opening round of the Lake Shore Athletic League Conference playoffs. They followed that performance up on Wednesday, February 7 with a 58-30 victory over Christian Heritage in the semi-finals to advance to the Conference Finals this Monday, February 12 against Intrinsic Academy-Downtown.

5th year Head Coach Marcus Dixon shared, “I’m very proud of the strides we’ve been making as a team. It seems as though we are peaking at the right time, and as a coach I just want to continue to encourage the boys, and build on this energy.”

Beacon is no stranger to a league final game. This team has made two conference championship games in five years winning the most recent game in 2022 over Cruz High School. However, what makes this run special is the pathway to the finals.

Beacon lost its previous matchup on the road at Horizon Science sans two key contributors 65-62. This was a difficult first round matchup on paper, and our coach Marcus Dixon, and our team were focused for a tough battle in our home gym. The squad took care of business throughout the first three quarters which led to a running clock in the fourth quarter due to IHSA mercy rules. This 30-point lead became a good opportunity for our JV team to get some meaningful minutes on the varsity stage.

However, on Wednesday, the matchup against Christian Heritage Academy had a different buzz surrounding the game. Christian Heritage was not only the returning Conference Champion, but also upset Beacon in the same round one year ago. That game saw Beacon blow a 17-point lead. The most recent matchup saw Heritage defeat Beacon at home by a narrow 55-51 margin.

Regardless, the boys were locked in and played their most complete game of the season. They jumped out to a 21-4 first quarter lead. The rest was history. A Heritage player hit a half court buzzer beater prior to the fourth period, but that was not enough to thwart another running clock to start the fourth quarter. The closest margin was in the first period. Coach Dixon ensured a victory by utilizing his starters until midway through the final stanza.

Dixon added, “It means a lot to return to the finals. I promised the guys at the beginning of the season that we would return to the final game with hard work, and commitment. They’ve put in the work, so they’re receiving what they deserve. Though we have made it to this point, the job is not finished. The ultimate goal is for Beacon Academy to become two-time Conference Champions. Then, make a run at the state tournament. Until then, it is still one game at a time.”

The Conference Championship Game is scheduled for a 5:00 pm tip-off at Illinois Tech’s Keating Sport Center on the southside. The game will be streamed live from Beacon Academy’s webpage.