Chicago Marshall vs. Goreville - IHSA 1A State Championship

1A IHSA State Championship Game

Chicago Marshall

Goreville

Chicago Marshall (52) - Humes 0 2 0-0 6, Myles 2 0 2-4 6, Gibson, Jr. 0 0 0-0 0, Laye, Jr. 11 0 8-11 30, Cornell 1 0 4-4 6, Kennedy 0 0-2 0 , Williams 0 0 0-0 0, Archer 2 0 0-0 4.
2FG-16/3FG-2/FT-14-21/PF-13.

Goreville (44) – Land 4 0 2-4 10, Green 3 2 1-1 13, N. King 3 0 4-5 10, Church 0 2 0-0 6, T. King 0 0 2-2 2, Turley 0 0 0-0 0, Compton 0 1 0-0 3, Tripp 0 0 0-0 0, Blue 0 0 0-0 0. 2FG-10/3FG-5/FT-9-12/PF-18.

Fouled Out – None.
Technical Fouls – None.

BLACKCATS FALL SHORT OF TITLE
Late run by Chicago Marshall gives Commandos 52-44 win; Goreville finishes 34-5

03/14/2026
BY JACK BULLOCK
CHAMPAIGN – Reaching their first ever state championship the Goreville Blackcats appeared like they had weathered the Chicago Marshall Commandos defensive storm heading into the final eight minutes of the 1A title game.

Despite early turnovers and a “not-so perfect” 24-minutes, the Blackcats led by eight points heading into the fourth quarter.

A drive to the basket for a score by junior guard Nick King gave Goreville its largest lead at 41-31 with 7:45 left.

But the defensive blizzard thrown at them by Marshall got much more intense in the final minutes.

Marshall forced 23 turnovers for the game, nine of which came in the final quarter, that doomed the Goreville state title dream.

The Commandos went on a 15-0 game changing run, fueled by the defensive pressure, to add a fourth state championship for the school on the west side of Chicago.

Five-eleven sophomore Darrin Laye, Jr. scored 30-points and Marshall turned their 18 steals into 22 fast break points in a 52-44 title game victory.

Rayvon Myles (seven) and Laye, Jr. (six) were leaders in stealing the ball against Goreville.

Marshall won championships in 1958, 1960 and 2008 and carried the 2026 1A trophy home Saturday.

“I say it all the time. This state championship isn't just for Marshall. It's for the City of Chicago, for the west side of Chicago. That's the testiment of what the city is. The grit, the grind. Us being able to go out and get it done. I'm extremely happy for these guys,” said Coach Darrin Laye.

For the Blackcats, it was the furthest trip to the state after Covid19 stopped the program from getting on the floor in 2020 and a fourth place finish in 2018.

Coach Todd Tripp's club ran through a minefield of good teams to get to the state title game but ran out of steam at the end.

“We got the Sweet 16 banner and Lawson (Land) said we want one on the other side, where we have the Final Four banners. That's what we wanted and that's what we talked about, that was their goal. We had lofty goals when we started. Now they get to see that banner. From here on out forever,” said Coach Tripp.

Senior Zech Green closed out his final game with 13-points and teammates junior Nick King and junior Lawson Land finished with 10-points each.

The Blackcats shot the ball well enough (15-of-31 overall, 5-of-10 from the arc) to win most games and they out-rebounded the Commandos 23-22.

It was the turnovers, and not turning over Marshall, that stood out.

Coach Darrin Laye and his club finished the job by hitting 8-of-11 field goals and 7-of-9 free throws in the final moments.

They committed just 11-turnovers.

In contrast, Goreville was just 2-of-9 in the fourth period and went over five minutes without a point during the Marshall run.

(CONTINUED)

“We got to rushing and we like to play fast. But they (Marshall) are quick. I thought for the most part we did well with their pressure but the little mistakes got us,” said Coach Tripp.

Goreville held an 8-7 lead early before six-straight points for Marshall, all by Laye, Jr., gave the Commandos a 13-8 lead at the end of the first.

Eight-consecutive points for the Blackcats in the second quarter came from a 3-pointer from freshman Braden Compton that started the run.

Scores driving to the basket by Green and Lawson Land added to the run with the Green score turning into a conventional three-point play.

Senior Garrett Church hit a pair of 3-point shots in the game and his first helped close the quarter.

A King cut to the basket with an assist from Compton made it 24-15 in the final seconds.

But a Marshall 3-pointer from junior guard Edward Hummes, who canned the 20-footer from the left corner, closed the Goreville lead to just six at halftime.

After the Commandos tied the game at 27-27, Goreville responded with a second 3-point bomb and score on a drive by Land, and two big baskets from Green.

The first Green shot was a made 3-pointer and it was followed by an 18-footer just inside the arc off a fast break pass from King that beat the horn for a 39-31 advantage heading into the final quarter.

Following the first basket by King to begin the final quarter, nothing much went right for the Blackcats.

Laye, Jr. converted consecutive transition scores off of turnovers and a pair of free throws by Amari Cornell started the championship run.

A score by junior Antonio Archer forced a Goreville timeout at 41-39 with 4:28 remaining.

Laye made another steal and score but he missed a three-point free throw for a tie score.

He converted the next drive for point while being fouled before another steal by Archer turned into a two-handed fast break slam dunk by Myles for a 46-41 lead and another Blackcats' timeout at 2:48.

Green hit a 3-pointer from the left wing to stop the onslaught with 2:34 left.

That was the final made shot by Goreville.

The Commandos closed their title game triumph with another fast break bucket by Myles and 4-of-6 free throws by Myles and Laye.

Goreville added two more turnovers and missed their final four field goal attempts.

The final free throw by Laye with :11.7 closed the book and set off the Commandos' celebration.

Coach Tripp reflected on the team and his career after the emotional loss.

“It's been a dream come true. I've been doing this a long time. They (this team) made my dream come true,” said Coach Tripp. “These guys took me on this ride. I owe it all to them. It was wonderful this year. It's been a blessing for sure. The consistency of this team. We thought coming in we could shoot the ball pretty good but we shot the ball way better than I expected. To watch that each game get better and watch our defense get better, watch their focus get better. They made it fun.”