Will Cook County News

By Claude Martinez.

Bridgeview — Only six days into the month of Ramadan (February 23), the IHSA Boys Basketball state playoff tournament got underway.

At the new UniPlex Sports Facility in Bridgeview, Muslim players and fans broke their fast and prayed Maghrib roughly an hour before the opening whistle.

The featured matchup was a 2A first-round contest between the Westmont Sentinels and the Universal Stars.

Although the final score read 69–58 in favor of Universal, it does not fully capture how competitive the game was.

Both teams battled throughout the night, with the lead only breaking open late in the fourth quarter.

According to the official scorebook, scored by brother Masir Baste, Westmont senior Luca Valencia finished with 32 points to lead the Sentinels.

For Universal, the top two scorers were sophomore shooting guard Zayd Musa with 13 points and junior point guard Zedan Said, who poured in 29.

Preparing for a basketball game is demanding in its own right, but doing so after fasting all day without food or water adds another layer of difficulty. Both Said and Musa explained their preparation and mindset during Ramadan.

Malcolm Cherry, in his fourth year with the program and first as head coach, led the Stars to a 13–11 regular-season record and a conference championship. He reflected on the team’s growth this season.

To hear from Said, Musa and Cherry and see how Universal powered through its first-round victory, watch the news package on YouTube (linked below), Facebook or Instagram @ Will Cook County News.

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