Basketball makes history with first ever state title

By: Simon Zimmerman LO’T Reporter

This past month has been an absolute blur in the sports universe. The usual intrests of spring sports such as, March Madness, and baseball games and practices, are taking a backseat as Moline is still celebrating their basketball champtionship triumph. The historic Boys Basketball run deserves a look through the lens of their coach, Mr. Sean Taylor.

He mentioned that their season had really started in June with practices and games. Bringing the ball up the court was Senior, Brock Harding, whose ball handling skills were exceptional, and whose jump shot was, as Coach put it, “unbelievable”. Standing at an astonishing 6’ 10”, Senior, Owen Freeman dominated the paint. Seniors, Grant Welch and Jasper Ogburn evolved into defensive brick walls and turnover machines, showing why defense truly wins championships. Rounding out the starting roster, Sophomore, Treyvon Taylor’s lethal athleticism, combined with a bench headed by Sophomore, Braden Freeman, the season was afoot.

After starting with a loss to Wisconsin Lutheran, the Maroons cruised through 12 games, winning by a combined 375 points. Unfortunately, Chicago Mt. Carmel took down the Maroons, who roared back with seven more wins before taking their final loss of the season to Illinois’ number 1 ranked Simeon 66-67. However, Coach Taylor was never phased, saying “we had a great schedule, and hard opponents, but we played well, and I think that helped us”.

After the regular season games had been completed, and the regional championship was secured, the community began to truly rally in preparation for the Super-Sectional. O’Fallon, the Maroon’s opponent in the sectional final, was forced to play in a sold out Wharton Field House bursting at the seams with over 7,000 Maroons screaming. O’Fallon was leveled 62-38. Now, Moline had their eyes set on

Oswego East. The super-sectional final was being played at Illinois State University’s campus, and for a moment, Moline looked mortal. Just one minute into the fourth quarter, Moline found themselves down 4 points. Quickly, Trey, Brock, and Owen clawed back the lead with 4 straight baskets to bring the lead to 3. With time ticking down, Oswego was forced to foul, and Brock Harding made the clutch free throws to bring Moline to a narrow victory of 59-55.

The school erupted and Coach Taylor and his players became celebrities. Even though the game against Oswego East was close, Coach Taylor described them as “not even the hardest opponent” they had faced in their season. As they left for the state semifinals, the Moline Police Department escorted the boys until the bus crossed county lines. Despite the nerves, the entire process of practicing in the State Farm Center in Champaign was smooth and “extremely organized”, taking stress off of the coaches’ backs. As the minutes ticked down until tip-off, fans flocked into the center. The Moline Student Section, outnumbered nearly 4:1, brought their loudest chants against the legion of Downers Grove North Trojans, and Coach Taylor said “it’s good to have [the MHS student section] behind you”. It took only one quarter for this game to end, with Brock Harding knocking down 16 points in just the first 8 minutes. Owen Freeman accidentally ripped his jersey and had to don the number 40. Moline kept a vice grip on the lead by keeping the clock running. Moline had worked their way into a state championship.

Coach Taylor refers to his players as “great guys with common goals” and “hard workers” had just one more game to win until they became history, and the greatest team Moline High School has ever seen. On that Saturday, Moline’s tipoff was 7:15, and parents of Maroons flooded into the stadium. Yet, the sea of red and white of Benet Academy seemed to engulf the stadium. Benet won the tipoff, and the game began. Moline didn’t have the same white-hot start of the days before. Instead, the game was within 7 points at halftime, with Moline leading. But coming out of the locker room, Moline owned the court, extending the lead to 14 by the start of the fourth quarter. Benet Academy fouled to extend the clock, but it was no use.

Moline had taken home a championship net, and with it, Coach Taylor and his players have cemented their legacy as the greatest team in Moline’s long history, and the county named March 21st official “Moline Maroons Day”. After winning, Moline became the 49th nationally ranked team according to MaxPreps.com. Coach was happy, but “not surprised”. He believes that Brock Harding and Owen Freeman “will just improve at Iowa”. Even though he did graduate from the University of Illinois, Coach Taylor admits that whenever their Big 10 rivals in Iowa are squaring off, he may just have to cheer for Iowa in the end. He also wanted to give thanks to his family and kids for being supportive, his school for being the best student section, and finally, his beloved team, who brought a legendary and long-awaited championship to Moline.