The Paw Print

By Owen Zolner

Blocking Myles Townsend (5) is Neveah Hawkins(30) and Harper Krolak(24) is reaching for the ball

For the first time in their history, Payton was in a sectional championship. 

After beating Clemente in a tightly contested regional championship win, and toppling Westinghouse and star All-City guard Damien Bolden despite being considered by many to be underdogs, Payton finished 8th in conference to Westinghouse’s 1st place finish. In both games, Payton was propelled ahead by the efforts of seniors Kai Fogelson, Myles Townsend, and Jakob Blakely. Payton was on a massive hot streak going into the game against St. Pats, and, coming up against an opponent they had suffered a massive loss to earlier in the season, were ready to prove that they had improved from their bad start and were ready to pull off an upset. 

Payton’s attendance at the game was a pleasant surprise. Fans came from the school out to Oak Park at Fenwick High School to watch the game unfold. The student section filled up fast, and the atmosphere at the school was louder than any other game this season. Students, parents, and alumni alike came to show their support for the team that was enjoying unparalleled success never seen before in the entirety of Payton’s history. 

Payton got off to a bad start- St. Patrick’s Center had two big blocks that demoralized the underdogs. However, Payton stayed solid, playing the game at their own pace and refusing to give up easy buckets on the defensive end. Finally, with a massive three to break the first two scoreless minutes, the crowd erupted. St. Patrick gradually clawed back, showing why they are one of the best teams in the city, making the score 10-8 with 30 seconds left in the first quarter. Throughout the entirety of the first quarter, St. Patrick’s student section was extremely loud and passionate, making the environment and stage feel even bigger than it already felt. With just a few seconds to go, Senior Kai Fogelson hit a massive shot to bring the game to a tie going into the second quarter. 

Going into the second quarter, hopes were high. Although St. Patrick was good, the team was playing like they could hang with them. This attitude is perhaps what cost them in the 2nd quarter, which was nothing short of a nightmare for Payton and their fans, whose team would not register a single point the entire quarter. Payton was outscored 17-0 in the 2nd quarter, giving up easy buckets off of fast breaks and not being able to generate anything offensively. The St. Patrick student section was louder than ever, and, in a highly defensive battle and down 17 going into the half, morale was low on the Payton side of the court. 

Payton stayed competitive with St. Patrick throughout the second half and began to find their rhythm again, but offensive rebounds and the slow pace of the game made it hard for them to claw back. Payton finished the game losing by 18 points, showing that the significant second-quarter run from St. Patrick was the determining factor in Payton’s loss. Throughout 3 quarters of the game, the team played as a cohesive unit, making up for each other’s mistakes and spreading the rock around relatively equally, with a pretty even score distribution amongst the players. 

Overall, the game was a disappointing end for what was all in all a historic season for Payton, making the sectional final. Payton proved that they weren’t a team to be slept on with “upsets” over Lane Tech and Westinghouse(twice) the team proved that they could hang with the best of them in 3A. The team has everything to be proud of and deserves to be happy with the place that they got to, which was nothing short of special. The team will be losing many key pieces going into next season, however, the future looks bright for Payton basketball, and it will be essential for them to build on the momentum from this season.