During my nearly 40 years of covering high school basketball in the St. Louis area, I was usually covering the state basketball championships in Missouri during the month of March.
There was only one occasion where I had the opportunity to cover the Illinois State basketball championships in person. I was assigned to cover the 1989 IHSA Class AA state tournament in Champaign at the University of Illinois.
What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was about to embark on the most exciting and exhilarating weekend of high school basketball in my career as a sports media member. It’s a career that spans five decades, so I’ve seen a lot. I witnessed history as the Lincoln Tigers won the state championship and became the first three-peat state championship team in the state of Illinois.
I still call it the best high school game that I’ve seen in my career.
It’s the 35th anniversary of that great championship run from that great Lincoln team. It was also an improbable run to many because the Tigers entered the season without their great All-American forward LaPhonso Ellis in the lineup.
The 6’9” Ellis had led the Tigers to back-to-back state championships in 1987 and 1988 en route to becoming a McDonald’s All-American and one of the top players in the country. He was starting his career at Notre Dame.
Despite the graduation of Ellis, the Tigers still fielded a formidable lineup and they were able to battle their way back to Champaign for a shot at a three-peat. The new leader was Cuonzo Martin, a 6’6” junior forward with a quiet disposition, yet became a dominant force when he stepped on the court. He averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds while playing the top of the Tigers’ feared full-court press.
The Tigers also had two very talented 6’3” shooting guards in senior Vincent Jackson and junior Chris McKinney. Both were explosive and skilled offensive players who can create a bucket at any time. The point guard was senior Rico Sylvester, a steady hand who distributed the basketball and played good defense. He can also make a big shot when needed. The fifth starter was 6’8” senior Ronald Willis, who was an All-State track athlete in the shot put. The sixth man was 6’4” forward Sharif Ford, who filled in a lot of different roles. Patrolling the sidelines was Hall of Fame coach Bennie Lewis, who was always the cool customer.
Although Lincoln arrived in Champaign for the Elite Eight as the two-time defending state championships, there was respect, but not a lot of hype around them. Especially without Ellis this time around.
Much of the hype was centered around Chicago King ,a powerhouse team from the powerful Chicago Public League. Most figured that they would take the crown away from Lincoln. The Chicago media members had all but crowned King as the new state champions before a game was even played. Also in the field was Peoria Central, who came to Champaign with an undefeated record. The field was loaded. Lincoln’s task was tall.
Lincoln’s first opponent in the quarterfinals was a talented East Aurora team, who was led by star forward Thomas Wyatt. In the closing seconds, the score was tied 70-70 and East Aurora was holding the ball for one shot to win the game. As the seconds ran down, I thought to myself that Lincoln’s great run may end in the first game.
That was when Martin stole a pass on the baseline and threw the ball down court to a sprinting Sharif Ford, who caught the ball and in one motion flipped it into the basket at the buzzer to give the Tigers a stunning 72-70 victory. The Tigers sprinted off the floor and into the locker room in jubilation. Martin, Jackson and McKinney combined to score 60 of Lincoln’s 72 points.
Next on the docket was a Saturday afternoon showdown with King, who won the state title in 1986 and was eager to take back its place at the top of Illinois hoops. The Jaguars were led by All-American guard Jamie Brandon, who scored 31 points. However, the Tigers held strong and pulled out a 60-57 victory, much to the disbelief of my friends from the Northern part of the state. Martin led the Tigers with 22 points.
The Tigers were one game away from history, but standing in their way was an incredible Peoria Central team that was undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the state. They were led by All-State guard Chris Reynolds, who was headed to Indiana the following season.
What unfolded over the next couple of hours was pure drama and excitement. I still call it the best high school game that I’ve seen in my career. The two teams traded big shots and big plays throughout the evening without backing down one bit. The score was tied at the end of regulation, the first overtime and the second overtime. I remember Rico Sylvester hitting a huge 3-point shot to give Lincoln a 57-55 lead with about a minute left in the third overtime.
When Reynolds countered with two free throws with 29 seconds left in the third overtime, it looked like we were headed for a fourth extra session. The Tigers held the ball for the final shot and the ball ended up in the hands of Jackson.
Jackson dribbled the ball between his legs and let fly with a jumper from the top of the key that swished through the net to give Lincoln a 59-57 victory and its historic third state championship in a row.
As a young 24-year old reporter that was still fairly new to the game, I was overcome with emotion when Jackson’s shot went through the net. I jumped up in my seat and started screaming. “OH MY GOD! THEY DID IT! THEY DID IT! THEY REALLY DID IT!!!
The first person I got to interview after the game was Martin and he had one simple message to everyone around the state that doubted the Tigers and thought that they couldn’t bring home another state title.
“How you like us now?”
Cuonzo pretty much summed up everything with those few words. What I witnessed during that weekend in Champaign was not only does the community of East St. Louis produce stellar athletes, but the competitive will and spirit of those kids is unmatched; and that has been true in all of their sports. On the state’s biggest stage, the Tigers won three high-pressure games by a total of seven points, including two walk off buzzer-beaters. It was amazing to watch.
The three-peat championship was the crowning achievement for Lewis, who had also led the Tigers to a state title in 1982. For his achievements, Lewis was voted the Coach of the 20th Century in the state of Illinois by the Chicago Tribune.
