Chicago-Area High School Football News and Scores | Season Pass

Kaneland took care of business Monday, dispatching host IMSA 79-40 in the first round of the Titans’ Class 3A regional.

The third-seeded Knights, who got double-digit scoring from four players and had 11 players overall dent the box score, climb to 16-11 and will meet second seed St. Francis Tuesday at 7:30 in the second semifinal.

“We wanted to just come out and focus on our own game and what we need to do to execute to be successful,” Kaneland coach Brian Johnson said. “It’s nice when you’re sharing the ball like we did and playing unselfishly.”

Freshman Dylan Vaca, brought up to the varsity for the postseason, came off the bench in the second quarter and hit three straight three-pointers to help boost the Knights’ 17-11 first quarter lead to 24-13 at the half.

Vaca finished with a team-high 19 points for Kaneland. Starters John Pruett (15 points), Matt Limbrunner (13) and Dan Miller (10) all reached double figures in limited minutes.

IMSA’s 6-foot-4 junior Isiah Butler led the Titans offensively, draining a pair of three-pointers in the first quarter and scoring 14 of his game-high 20 points in the first half. He had two more treys in the second half.

Gregory O’Bannon added seven points for IMSA, which bows out at 4-20.

“Against St. Francis we’re gonna have to come out with our best effort,” Johnson said. “They’re a tough and rugged team and play hard. We’re going to have to have great possessions at the offensive end.”