The Bishop McNamara boys basketball team boasts a potent offense, and the 62 points-per-game average they took into Tuesday’s IHSA Class 2A Seneca Sectional semifinal against Wilmington is proof.

And while the Fightin’ Irish did reach the 60-point mark for the sixth straight game, it was on the defensive end where they impressed the most Tuesday, holding the Wildcats to a season-low 24 points in a 61-24 semifinal win that has McNamara in a sectional title game for the second straight season.

“We’re long, lengthy,” senior wingman Karter Krutsinger said. “Me and Coen [Demack] pick up at full court, and we’ve got the athletes behind us to get in the passing lanes and get steals, so we’re tough.”

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 29

Boys Basketball: IHSA Class 2A Seneca Sectional semifinal - Bishop McNamara vs. Wilmington Bishop McNamara's Coen Demack turns to celebrate a scoring play with teammates during the Fightin' Irish's 61-24 victory over Wilmington in the IHSA Class 2A Seneca Sectional semifinal on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (Tiffany Blanchette)

A matchup of teams looking to extend arguably their best seasons in school history, the Irish (28-5) and Wildcats (22-10) exchanged early buckets, but Callaghan O’Connor’s close-range bucket 90 seconds in put McNamara in charge for the rest of the night. The Irish defense held the Wildcats to a 9-for-45 (20%) night from the field that included a 1-for-12 (8.3%) showing from the 3-point line.

“I thought we contested hard on the perimeter, and then, obviously, we have rim protection, so it’s hard to score around the rim on us,” Irish coach Adrian Provost said. “So I think our perimeter guys did a nice job.

“We were hard in contesting their shots, not giving a whole lot of open looks, and we touched a lot. We touched a lot of passes, blocked a lot of shots.”

With point guard Teddy Fogel surrounded by 6-foot-4 wings Krutsinger and Demack alongside 6-foot-7 bigs O’Connor and Richard Darr in the front court, the Irish’s size paid off not just defensively, but offensively as well. They had a 40-24 advantage on the glass, including 17 offensive rebounds that led to 18 second-chance points.

“We had a lot of [second-chance] points, and that’s partially because of our size, but it’s also because our coaches preach, preach, preach, preach rebounding,” Demack said. “We’ve got to go to the glass, and that’s all five players.”

Demack, who had a game-high 13 points, scored nine of those on second opportunities. Krutsinger hauled in a team-best nine boards, five of them offensive, and was tied with freshman Corey Hathaway with eight points for an Irish team that saw 10 different players score.

“I think it’s all of us,” Krutsinger said. “It’s not just me. It’s the connection we all have since freshman year, eighth grade, even when we all played Little Irish growing up. We’re all so tight, so it helps.”

The Irish were in control by the half, taking a 35-14 lead to the locker room before Demack opened the third with seven straight second-chance points to take any remaining wind out of the Wildcats’ sails.

While Tuesday’s season finale brought some obvious postgame emotions in the Wilmington locker room, one of those emotions was pride. Pride in a season that didn’t end how they wanted, but ended later than almost any other season in Wildcats history and tied with the 1957-58 team for most wins.

“It was a great year,” Wilmington coach Doug Krop said. “You start breaking everything down: 22 wins tied the most in school history, the first time winning a regional since 1998 … 1986 was the last 20-win season, second in the [Illinois Central Eight] Conference. I’m proud of the guys.

“It’s been a good group to be around all year. They’re just a good group of guys that work hard, and you can’t ask for much more.”

Senior Ryan Kettman had seven points in his final prep basketball game, matching junior Brysen Meets for the team lead. Kettman added eight boards, while Meents had five.

The Fightin’ Irish are in the sectional championship round for the second straight season and will face the winner of Wednesday’s semifinal between Yorkville Christian and Pontiac. But after bowing out in last year’s round of 16, the Irish are looking to earn at least one more plaque Friday.

“That’s been on our minds,” Krutsinger said. “[Assistant] coach [Jerry] Krieg just told us, he highlighted everybody in the locker room that was on the team last year and told us we’ve been waiting all year for this.”