Althoff rolls to Illinois Class 2A Championship basketball game

Buoyed by a strong defensive effort and a late first-half run, the Althoff Catholic basketball team claimed an IHSA Class 2A championship game berth on Thursday.

The Crusaders used a 12-0 run to roll to a 13-point halftime lead and capture a Class 2A semifinal victory over Chicago Christ the King at State Farm Center in Champaign on the University of Illinois campus. The final score was 60-45.

Top-ranked Althoff (32-5), which won the Class 3A championship in 2016, will face Dyett High School of Chicago for the IHSA Class 2A championship on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Althoff capped a perfect football season in November by winning the Class 1A football championship.

Both teams came out aggressive and high-energy in the first quarter, but the Crusaders managed to hold a 14-12 lead at the end of the quarter.

A Christian Buford 3-pointer pulled the Gladiators within 18-17 midway through the second quarter.

Althoff Catholic responded with a 12-0 run keyed by a Luke Smith 3-pointer and a Bryden Gryzmala bucket to give the Crusaders a 30-17 lead at the half.

Althoff senior standout guard Dierre Hill also was big in the first half. Hill, who is headed to Oregon to play football this fall, scored 15 of his team-high 22 points in the first half. He finished with seven rebounds and five assists.

Christ the King pulled within nine on a Matthew Harland free throw late in the third quarter but Gryzmala responded with a 3-point play, giving the Crusaders a 43-31 lead heading into the final period. Gryzmala finished with 14 points.

Crusaders sophomore guard Steven Brown knocked down a jumper, pushing the lead to 45-31 early in the fourth quarter and Althoff pulled away with 14 points over the final six minutes to lock down their Class 2A championship game appearance.

This story was originally published March 13, 2025 at 5:21 PM.