Bloom High School's basketball team eyes state championship

Bloom High School in Chicago Heights faced a tough squad from Kankakee on Tuesday night.

The Blazing Trojans basketball team broke open a tight game in the 2nd half to go on to win 75-65.

Bloom High School features four players that have already signed Division One scholarships, including Dante Maddox Jr., the coach's son.

Bloom is ranked No. 1 in the state and that's where the team hopes to stay all season long as they set their sights on a state championship.

Head Coach Dante Maddox said, "We've worked to put ourselves in this position. We took our lumps. Now we've planted seeds and they are coming into fruition now. So now we just have to play and do what we do."

Keshawn Williams plays guard for the Chicago Heights team.

"Everyone's gonna bring it to us every night. We're the No. 1 team in the state and we've been working for this for a long time," Williams said. "This is our last year and we're just having fun. We've been building this since our freshman year, this is what we've been waiting for."

Dante Maddox Jr. also plays guard.

"This is a group of kids, all from the district, we've grown up together, knew each other, even though we didn't come as close once we came to Bloom. Since our freshman year, it just clicked. We all have been together and hang out together on and off the court. Those are my brothers and there's no one else I'd rather have this journey with," he said.

Dante's father and the team's head coach, Dante Maddox, said, "I feel good about the season."

"A great group of kids. We play hard. We've been battle tested. Now we just want to get healthy. The sooner we can get healthy, the better," Maddox said.