'Special talent': Konieczny powers Saint Joseph boys basketball to sectional title over Clay
SOUTH BEND — Chase Konieczny was not going to be denied Saturday.
Neither were the rest of his Saint Joseph teammates.
Konieczny scored 36 points and hauled in 14 rebounds as the Huskies routed Clay, 81-47, in the Class 3A, Sectional 19 title game at Washington High School. It’s the 14th sectional championship in program history and first since 2021.
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“We had a hard loss last year by one point, and we made sure the whole season that it wasn’t going to happen again,” said Konieczny, referencing St. Joe’s 62-61 loss to Washington in last season’s sectional final. “We just came together as a team, fighting through all the conflicts and ups-and-downs.”
Saint Joseph (17-9) scored the first 15 points of the game, including back-to-back ‘3’s’ from Konieczny in a seven-second span to end the run with 4:58 still remaining in the opening frame.
Konieczny scored 15 points in the first quarter, nine in the second, six in the third and six more in the fourth. He secured his double-double with a rebound midway through the third quarter. His jumper at the buzzer of that frame put the Huskies ahead, 63-43, going into the fourth.
In two sectional games, Konieczny combined to score 57 points.
“Two words: special talent,” said Saint Joseph coach Eric Gaff of Konieczny. “He’s just a special player, man. He’s definitely the reason we’re here. He’s just such a good player. The guys really feed off him.”
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Three other Huskies had impressive offensive nights. Freshman Elijah King was second in scoring off the bench with 10 points, while senior Jayce Lee and sophomore Braylen White added nine each.
“To their credit: the guys got together (this past Monday), they had a team meeting and they laid out exactly what they wanted to do,” Gaff said. “As a coach, I loved it, and they executed it for us. They’re zeroed-in, and I’m excited to see where they go.”
The game ended with a special moment, as Saint Joseph senior Tyler Brown hit two ‘3’s’ in the final minute. While Brown has played throughout the year, the crowd still erupted seeing him score in a sectional game less than three years after suffering a gunshot wound to the head, nearly ending his life.
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“He’s just a special kid,” Gaff said. “He’s one of those kids that brings a tear to your eye every time you see him in the gym. We’re so happy for him, and we’re excited to keep this season going.”
Up next for Saint Joseph will be a regional championship showdown with another Northern Indiana Conference member, John Glenn. The Falcons (13-13) upset Tippecanoe Valley (16-9), 35-30, in the Sectional 18 final Saturday night to win a second-straight sectional title.
The Huskies beat Glenn, 73-40, on Feb. 6. The rematch will be played this Saturday, March 9, at 7 p.m. at Washington High School.
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“We’re definitely not done,” Konieczny said. “This is just the start. I feel like we can go far. We just have to keep playing as a team and building that team chemistry.”
End of an era for Clay boys basketball
Although it was a shaky start for the Colonials, they battled back for the next two-plus quarters. It was a 51-38 Saint Joseph lead midway through the third quarter before the Huskies dominated the final 12 minutes of the contest.
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“These kids have been so resilient,” Clay coach Doug Barnbrook said. “Last spring, when we found out that Clay was closing — just the fact they came back to play for the high school was super exciting. They wanted to finish it out the right way. We lost two starters in the first five games, and it took us a little bit to regroup. We’ve been playing some of our best basketball in the last month, though, and peaked at the right time.”
The loss marks the final game in the history of the program, finishing its last season with a 13-11 record. Senior Shirron Taylor led Clay with 15 points, while sophomore Tyrese Jones added 14, senior Jamari Jones six, freshman Kelin Webster five, senior Brad Hicks and sophomore Ryan Harris three each and sophomore Rodney Milligan one point.
“I’m proud the last game of Clay boys basketball history was in a sectional championship,” Barnbrook said. “We had a nice win over Jimtown (in the semifinals), and so to come out here and this be the way it ends for Clay boys basketball — just proud of the way our guys fought.”
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Konieczny's double-double leads Saint Joseph to sectional title over Clay
