Analysis: Mays Gets in the Way of Homewood-Flossmoor's State Hopes

Green Bay Packers Nation will never forget first-ballot Hall of Famer Reggie White.

Soon, fans from that region will have another clog in the middle they'll likely learn to love.

Crete-Monee 6-foot-9 senior Greg Mays will play at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay next season. In Wednesday night’s Class 4A Thornwood Sectional semifinal game, Mays was taking care of business in t and doing it with his defense and rebounding.

Mays finished well below his scoring average with only eight points, which was fourth best on the team Wednesday night. But he collected a game-high 10 rebounds, blocked two shots and—most significantly—made it difficult for the Vikings to do much offensively. 

"They did a little jumping up at you, a little trap here and there and scrambled the 2-3 zone on you," H-F coach Jim McLaughlin said of the Warriors (24-3). "Mays in the middle ate up a lot of space and covered up the holes."

The Vikings committed 12 turnovers, with several occurring when they tried unsuccessfully to pass the ball inside.

"This doesn't show up in the box score, but I thought Mays did an incredible job of being active in the zone," Crete-Monee coach Matt Ryndak said. "He took away passing lines and showed good instinct."

Julian Lewis drained a three-pointer to open the second quarter for H-F, but the Warriors answered with six straight points to take a 20-10 lead. The Vikings would take little nibbles out of the lead but never reduced the deficit to less than seven points. A cold night shooting had a lot to do with their inability to rally, as they were just 3-of-19 on three-point attempts.

"They're talented, they're long, they're athletic and they've got a very good team," Ryndak said of the Vikings, “but we felt if they had a weakness it was on the perimeter, so we went into the game and said, 'If they're going to beat us, they're going to make 14 of 15 three-pointers.'"

The teams had met previously, on Jan. 18, when the Warriors prevailed 67-62.

"They defended the same way as last time," McLaughlin said. "We tried to get ready for it."

Lewis finished with a game-best 17 points in his final game for the Vikings.

"He had an amazing career for us—his effort and his motor and how he plays,” McLaughlin said. “The way he's progressed the last three years is just remarkable, and he's going to be irreplaceable for us."

While sadness filled the Vikings' locker room, McLaughlin made it a point to reflect on the season as a whole.

"We're proud of what we accomplished on the season," he said. "We had a great season, going 23-6, winning a regional out of Plainfield and going 14-0 in conference. Of course, it hurts right now, but I'm very proud of all they've accomplished."