Legacy is often told by the winners.

Standing at the free throw line, in the middle of the third quarter, Aiden Bardic ’25 bounces the ball once, before flicking his wrist and letting the ball go in. 1000 points.

The Patriots played well going into the match against their conference rivals, going 2-1 in the annual MLK Showcase at Wheaton-Warrenville High School, and 4-2 in their last six games. They had previously beaten the Wildcats twice, on Dec. 11 with a score of 60-55 (OT) and in a tournament game on Dec. 27, 77-45.

In the first quarter, the game was tight, with Liam Curtis ’25 making a mid-range jumpshot, and Rocco Pagliocca ’25 kicking it to Donny Williams ’25 for a three. The Wildcats gave up 11 points quickly, bringing the score to 11-2, but thanks to Bryce Wegrzyn and a Stevan Gavric three in transition, they kept it close at 11-10, in favor of the Patriots.

To start the second quarter, Libertyville played tough defense, and generated solid offense with Terrence Davis hitting a three at the top of the key, and Wegrzyn swishing another contested three to put them up 16-11, and the Patriots called a timeout with 5:37 left.

The Patriots forced their way back into the driver’s seat, thanks to Liam Curtin ’25 and Bardic. A minute after the timeout, in transition, Curtin posterized a Wildcat defender, for a resounding slam that kickstarted a run. As for Bardic, whether it was driving in to draw fouls or getting a quick layup off the glass, or dishing it out to Williams for a big three to put them up 21-16, he did it all, leading the Patriots to a 13-4 run to end the quarter putting them up 25-20.

“We really want to build off Liam’s dunk which was incredible,” Williams said. “Building off Bardic’s early success was a really big key for that [momentum].”

In the third quarter, Williams came out with a bang, picking up a steal before outpacing his defenders to throw it down. Throughout the rest of the quarter, the Patriots pushed the pace which created a lot of transition opportunities. As a result, the starters hit a barrage of shots from Pagliocca, Bardic, Williams, and Atticus Richmond ’25 putting them up 43-21 by the end of the third quarter — nearly sealing the deal.

“Other than that stretch when they got up 16-11, I thought we played really solid three and a half quarters of basketball,” head coach William Benson said.

Yet, there was still one goal in mind for the Patriots. In the fourth, Bardic’s teammates gave him the keys to the offense, allowing him to continually attack the glass once again to reach the 1000-point milestone. Bardic drove to the glass in the middle of the third, drawing a foul, and earning two free throws, 999 points behind him.

Taking one, then two dribbles, and finally sinking the first free throw, he joined 6 other boys basketball players in Stevenson history, making him the 7th boys basketball player in Stevenson basketball history to reach 1000 career points. Bardic was in the same class as New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson – a fact which put the Stevenson student section on their feet.

“Throughout the week I knew it was coming eventually,” Bardic said. “Lots of nerves [went] into that free throw. [The ball] goes out of your hands and feels good and you look at the ground and everyone is cheering for you.”

During this significant moment, Benson took the time to commemorate the event by announcing it to the crowd on a microphone to thunderous applause from both sides of the gym. Benson had coached Bardic for the last two years, through the majority of his high school career. Despite his historic achievement, Bardic said he wishes to focus on the team’s success, rather than personal milestones.

“After I called the timeout, after he got the thousand, [Bardic] was the first one [that said] we need to win this game… we need to play well,” Benson said. “That’s the kind of teammate he is.”

The Patriots have a difficult week ahead, with an away game against Mundelein on Jan. 28 and Waukegan on Jan. 31. They previously lost to Mundelein in a closely contested overtime matchup on Dec. 14, 47-45, and will be looking to redeem themselves. Bardic attributes much of their success in their matches to their scout team.

“They did a great job all week prepping [us] for them, showing us the actions they run, and helping us against [our opponents],” Bardic said. “I want to give them a ton of credit.”

To view the Statesman’s full photo album by staffer Ansh Aggarwal ’25, use the slideshow below, or visit our SmugMug album.

To view the album from Statesman’s guest photographer, Maya Heller ’25, visit her folder on Google Drive.