SOUTH BEND ― For a
second-straight week , South Bend Saint Joseph boys basketball was on the ropes. Elijah King made sure his team was the winner both games. This time, it was a layup with 57 seconds left to put the Huskies ahead. A defensive stop and two made free-throws by Chase Konieczny later would seal a 50-46 victory for Saint Joseph over Columbia City in an IHSAA Class 3A regional final Saturday at Washington High School. “First off, I want to thank my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ; I couldn’t do it without him,” King said. “They let me get downhill, and I knew they couldn’t guard me. I just trusted in myself like how my teammates trust in me, and I got the job done.” A week prior, King made two free throws in the final minute to help the Huskies beat Culver Academies, 47-45, in a sectional championship contest. King scored 11 of his team-high 13 points in the second half. “He’s special, man; he’s special,” said Saint Joseph coach Eric Gaff on King. “It’s pick your poison with us. You want to take away Chase? Great, we’ve got Nick (Shrewsberry) and Elijah that can take care of business. … When guys needed to make plays, they made plays.”
Defense takes over in the second half
It looked like both teams might score 60-plus points at the outset, with the Huskies leading, 15-14, after the first quarter and 31-29 at halftime. The contest became more of a defensive slugfest in the second half, however. Both Columbia City (17-10) and Saint Joseph (24-3) slowed the pace down, which led to 36 total points being scored across the final two quarters. “I told my guys in the huddle, ‘Nothing easy,’” King said. “That’s what we did (on defense), and we came out on top.” Saint Joseph made key adjustments on Eagles junior Landon Richmond in the second half. Richmond had 14 points and six rebounds at the break, but only managed three points and two rebounds the rest of the way. “We allowed (Richmond) to get position in the paint in the first half, and we said we couldn’t let him do that,” Gaff said. “The guys adjusted and we got them out of the paint, and that’s how we were able to take away their easy buckets.” It was a balanced effort by Saint Joseph on offense. Adding to King’s 13 points was 12 from Konieczny, nine from junior Nick Shrewsberry, six each from junior Ethan Roseman and Braylen White and five from senior Brashaun Woods. “I thought Braylen White was massive for us,” Gaff said. “On the inside, he had some blocks and big rebounds. He also brought a lot of energy for us.”
What is next for Saint Joseph boys basketball
The Huskies advance to a second-straight semi-state round, which will be Saturday, March 22. Last year, they reached the 3A state finals before losing to Scottsburg. The semi-state will feature a semifinal game at either 10 a.m. or noon, with a victory advancing the Huskies to a championship game later that night. Who Saint Joseph plays and where will be determined by a blind draw. Those matchups and locations will not be set until 4 p.m. Sunday.
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