St. Anne pulls away from Beecher for first RVC Tournament title

ST. ANNE – After building a comfortable 25-9 lead after the first quarter of Friday’s River Valley Conference Tournament championship against Beecher, St. Anne watched the defending two-time champion Bobcats methodically claw back, eventually pulling to within single digits at 45-36 late in the third quarter.

But then Deion Fifer happened.

The St. Anne senior went unconscious in the fourth quarter, scoring 17 of his game-high 25 points in a fourth quarter dominated by the Cardinals, who won their first RVC Tournament championship 70-38.

“I don’t even know or have a specific answer,” Fifer said about his late-game efforts. “I just got the ball and tried to do my thing, stay calm under pressure. They got it really good to me in the middle with good entry passes, and I just turned and scored.”

In the tournament’s first three years, it’s now three years in a row the same two teams met for all the marbles, with the Cardinals (21-6, 10-0 RVC) beating the Bobcats (16-12, 7-3) for the first time in those meetings.

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Boys Basketball: St. Anne vs. Beecher St. Anne's Chris Link hoists the River Valley Conference championship trophy overhead on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, after the Cardinals defeated Beecher 70-38 at St. Anne Community High School. (Tiffany Blanchette)

St. Anne head coach Rick Schoon has won quite a few trophies as he’s amassed more than 400 wins in his hall-of-fame career, and as he added a new trophy to his collection Friday, he said it all started with the team’s early defensive efforts.

Out of their full-court press and 1-3-1 zone, the Cardinals forced seven first-quarter turnovers that they cashed in for nine points off of them, recording as many points off turnovers alone as the Bobcats had for the entirety of the first.

“That set the tone,” Schoon said. “We wanted to tell our guys we were gonna come out aggressive. We wanted to set the tone defensively and that defense to turn into offense for us.”

After falling in an early rut, as well as seeing starting forward Noah Berry head to the bench with two fouls in the game’s first two minutes, the Bobcats were able to stay stride-for-stride in the second and take a 32-19 deficit to the half. It was a deficit that got as small as 45-36 in the last minute of the third before Fifer’s fourth to remember.

While he pointed to their 1 for 20 night from the 3-point line and 10 for 22 effort from the free-throw line against a quality opponent, Beecher head coach Tyler Shireman also knows that the Cardinals went undefeated in the conference for a reason. And Fifer perfectly exemplified why.

“Fifer is a perfect representation of Rick’s team,” Shireman said. “He relentlessly attacks, is a pest on defense and gives them such a lift off the bench. That team is built for high-pressure, postseason one-and-done basketball.”

Fifer, who’s logged several starts this season but primarily serves as the team’s sixth man, filled his role and then some, opening the fourth on a personal 9-0 run in the quarter’s first two minutes. Schoon said that his staff suggested opening the quarter with a more spread out look that featured Fifer in the high post, an adjustment that paid its dividends.

“As soon as we did that, our offense started clicking again and Deion was able to get to the basket,” Schoon said. “ ... He’s a special young man and does a lot of different things. He’s started a few games for us and could start every game for us, but whatever role he’s been given, he’s flourished in it.”

Fifer was closely followed by a 23-point, nine-rebound effort from Chris Link, and Jason Bleyle chipped in 10 points to give the Cardinals two double-digit scorers off the bench.

Link said that when the team began its offseason workouts in October, they did so with visions of Friday’s game in mind. And as they celebrated with their friends, family and fans once the final horn sounded, it all became worth it.

“This feels good,” Link said. “We put in the work back in October, conditioning and everything. To get this win, we did it.”

Orlin Nesbitt had 11 points, four boards and five blocks to lead Beecher. Berry and Dominick DeFrank each had eight points.

The Cardinals return to the court when they host Cornerstone Christian in the Class 1A regional quarterfinals Feb. 24. The Bobcats end their regular season at home against Wilmington on Thursday before hosting Peotone in the 2A Coal City Regional quarterfinals Feb. 24.