Maksas Bursua and his Riverside Brookfield Junior Bulldogs fifth grade boys Blue teammates won a wild game March 22 that they probably will never forget.
By the way, it also happened to be for the state championship.
Lasting three overtimes, the Junior Bulldogs first rallied and then persevered and survived to edge TLK Black 39-36 for the Gold Division title in Normal and the feeder program’s second straight championship at the fifth-grade level.
“It was crazy, honestly a dream come true,” said Bursua, who attends Central Elementary School in Riverside.
“We were all crying at the end because it was so amazing. It was very emotional when we won. Just to pull out that victory is a complete accomplishment, even if it wasn’t for a state championship.”
Team members are Bursua, Declan Chmelar, Owen Frame, Germaal Gervais, Angel Loera, Finn Johnson, Aedan Ketchmark, Freddie Krafnick, Cole Ryan and Salvador Tucker.
The head coach was Jason Gant with assistants Chris Chmelar and Chris Frame. Gant has been a varsity assistant coach for the RBHS boys basketball program the past four years.
Including the playoffs and pool play, the Junior Bulldogs went a perfect 4-0 at state in winning the highest Gold Division. Last year’s fifth-grade championship was in the Silver Division.
“When I started coaching them the previous spring, the mindset was to win a state championship,” Gant said.
“The previous fifth-grade team had won a state championship. The group before laid the foundation, showed it was possible. We took it to another level by winning it again but in the Gold this time.”
Gervais, a 5-foot-7 center who attends Central, made his basketball debut this season and often was among the team’s top scorers and rebounders.
“(Winning state) was super exciting,” Gervais said. “Playing close together and passing the ball (helped us). It was exciting to play with my teammates and I like playing against other teams.”
The championship was epic. In the third overtime with about 20 seconds left, the Junior Bulldogs pulled off an inbounds play with Bursua passing to Chmelar for a basket and 38-36 lead.
After a TLK turnover, Frame made one free throw and missed the second. Gervais momentarily controlled the rebound before the ball went out of bounds to TLK but under its basket with only a couple of seconds left.
The long inbounds pass was intercepted by Bursua.
“(I’ll remember) my buddy Declan making that shot and Coach Gant still having faith in us and saying we’re going to come back and win,” Bursua said.
The game was tied 31-31 after regulation and 34-34 after the first and second overtime but the Junior Bulldogs played catchup early on after struggling against a rare zone defense used against them.
“After we won and the buzzer went off, the players stormed the court and half of the team was crying tears of joy. Probably the most heartwarming picture,” Gant said. “It was such an incredible game. We were losing the whole time. The boys showed so much dedication.”
Gervais finished with 14 points and 23 rebounds in the final and averaged 13 points and 18 rebounds at state.
In the semifinals, the Junior Bulldogs defeated Hinsdale Inferno Red 42-36 after losing 45-39 in overtime earlier this season. They won their pool by edging Glen Ellyn Titans Green 43-41 with help from Bursua’s three-pointer in the final minute to regain the lead.
The Junior Bulldogs are comprised mostly of players from Central but also Brook Park Elementary School in LaGrange Park and Blyth Park in Riverside.
The Junior Bulldogs eighth-grade boys Blue team also finished third in the School Division, beating the Roselle Raptors 36-28 after losing in the semifinals to champion It Takes A Village Leadership Academy 67-40.
About half of the fifth-grade champions were on the 2025 fourth-grade state team, which finished 2-2.
“(Last season’s fifth graders) definitely carved a path for us,” Bursua said. “It definitely brought motivation to us. We knew we could do it if they did it, and we did exactly that.”