Kankakee collected the first piece of postseason hardware on its quest for the program’s first-ever state title, putting on a dominant performance in Friday’s IHSA Class 3A Geneseo Regional championship.

The Kays secured their third straight regional title, won their 23rd game in a row and set a new season high in points in a 93-41 win over Plano, and will now advance to play East Peoria (29-4) in the 3A Ottawa Sectional semifinals on March 4.

Friday’s win came two days after the Kays (28-1) faced a bit of an early scare against Morris in Wednesday’s semifinal.

The Kays responded and won that game 63-36, but senior Lincoln Williams said he and his teammates wanted to have a strong showing Friday to hit the rest of the postseason with plenty of momentum.

“That game on Wednesday was our first game in I think a week and a half,” he said. “I think tonight we were well-conditioned, and it showed. It showed in the score. ...

“These next games, I think it’s five games to win state, are going to be pretty tough. I think we can do it this year.”

Williams led the team with 24 points, 11 rebounds and six steals, also adding four assists.

Unlike Wednesday’s game, Kankakee never trailed Friday after Kenaz Jackson Jr. made a 3-pointer on the game’s opening possession.

The Kays pulled ahead 19-9 by the end of the first quarter, and after Plano (19-13) cut it back to eight at 21-13, the Kays started to run away.

They led 56-22 at the half and 77-35 after three before outscoring Plano 16-3 in the fourth.

Senior EJ Hazelett picked up his first regional title with Kankakee after starting his high school career in Indiana. He finished with 21 points, five rebounds and pair of steals.

Along with Williams, Myair Thompson, Kenaz Jackson Jr. and Cedric Terrell III, Hazelett has fit right into a starting five that he says is continuing to strengthen its bond.

“Over this season, we’ve gotten so much better playing with each other,” he said. “We know what our strengths and weaknesses are, so I feel like we’re just playing off each other. I feel like that’s getting us to where we need to get.”

All five starters scored in double figures Friday, with Thompson adding 12 points and Jackson and Terrell scoring 11 apiece.

Thompson added three rebounds and three assists, Jackson had 10 rebounds, and Terrell had four steals and a team-high eight assists, including a lob to Williams in transition as the Kays started pulling away in the second quarter.

While players like Williams and Hazelett sometimes get the bulk of the attention, Kankakee head coach Chris Pickett said that the chemistry the team has found up and down the roster – as displayed by the 17 assists Friday – can potentially carry the Kays far.

“Everyone is doing their job, everyone is doing their role, and right now we’re at a point where everyone has to be selfless,” he said. “Our end goal is to get as far as we can possibly get, and you cannot be a selfish player doing that. They realize that.”

The next step toward Champaign begins Wednesday against an East Peoria team that is riding high after winning its first regional title in 29 years.

Williams said that while it’s nice to enjoy Friday’s win a bit, there is plenty more work to do.

“This is some of the guys’ first (regional), and they’re pretty excited,” he said. “But the job’s not finished. We’ve got East Peoria [on] Wednesday, and that’s going to be a good one.”

While Plano’s season came to an end, the Reapers managed to increase their win total for the fourth year in a row, thanks in large part to seniors Alan Contreras, Mario Baca, Eric Nunez and Kevin Martinez.

Sophomore Cooper Beaty and junior Ethan Taxis led the team with 13 and 11 points, respectively.

“I think we were intimidated a little bit early, and we didn’t play with the focus we normally do,” Plano coach Kyle Kee said. “We’re sad to see our seniors go, but we’re excited about some of our underclassmen.

“We’re a pretty young team, so hopefully this sticks a bit and takes us into the offseason and we’ll be back.”