Senior guard Connor Kimme and his Kaneland teammates are right at home in “the barn.”

It’s an indoor court built by Kimme’s dad, Kyle, that gives Connor and his teammates endless chances to put up a bunch of extra shots pretty much any time that they want.

All those hours led to games like Friday night when Kimme’s hard work paid off.

“I’m in there all the time,” Kimme said afterward with a knowing nod. “In the summer, I would get up around 500 shots a day in the barn, trying to get prepared for this season.

“Even now, I’ll have the guys over to shoot around in the barn to get us ready. It’s been huge.”

Kimme was huge in the Class 3A Woodstock North Sectional championship game, leading all scorers with 17 points as the Knights gutted out a 51-41 win over Crystal Lake South.

Kaneland’s Connor Kimme (23) puts up a shot from close range against Crystal Lake South during the Class 3A Woodstock North Sectional final on Friday, March 6, 2026. (Ryan Rayburn / The Beacon-News)

The atmosphere of the sectional final was amplified slightly from the barn, but Kimme shot 3 of 6 from 3-point range as Kaneland (34-0) advanced to play at 6 p.m. Monday in the Northern Illinois University Supersectional against Morton (29-4), a 61-48 winner over Kankakee.

Marshawn Cocroft added 16 points for the Knights, while Jeffrey Hassan grabbed 10 rebounds. Nick Stowasser paced Crystal Lake South (27-8) with 13 points.

Kaneland coach Ernie Colombe confirmed that Kimme has been grinding his way through the program since he was a youngster — and the barn is a big reason why he’s here.

“Here he is stepping up and hitting shots,” Colombe said of Kimme. “He’s out there shooting all the time. The kid is a gym rat. We thought he could have a good game.”

Kaneland’s Isaiah Gipson (2) celebrates with Connor Kimme (23) after beating Crystal Lake South in the Class 3A Woodstock North Sectional final on Friday, March 6, 2026. (Ryan Rayburn / The Beacon-News)

In recent weeks, many teams have gone to a zone to try to slow down Cocroft. That leaves opportunities on the outside.

Kimme knew the Gators were going to use that tactic Friday, and he was ready.

“I watched a lot of film before this,” Kimme said. “One of the things we worked on in practice was rotating the ball fast. When we rotated the ball fast, it scrambled their defense and left open shooters like me for example.”

That’s exactly how the Knights scored their first basket of the game. A touch pass from Cocroft to Kimme in the corner led to a quick 3-pointer.

Kaneland’s Marshawn Cocroft (3) pushes past Crystal Lake South’s Carson Trivellini (5) during the Class 3A Woodstock North Sectional final on Friday, March 6, 2026. (Ryan Rayburn / The Beacon-News)

“We told him all week, ‘You’re going to get open looks — shoot the ball,’” Colombe said. “That’s why we shoot every day in practice. We have a lot of confidence in him.

“It was nice to see him step up.”

Kimme had an even bigger sequence in the third quarter. Crystal Lake South opened the second half on an 8-0 run to take a 30-28 lead.

But Kimme drilled a 3-pointer with 2:04 left in the third to put Kaneland back on top. Then on the other end, he took a charge. Cocroft followed with three and the Knights were back in control with a 34-30 lead.

“Once I hit that three that kind of switched the momentum a little bit,” Kimme said. “One of our scouts was that they like to drive, and once they drive, they don’t really stop.

“Coming down the court, I noticed that he was driving to the basket. I knew from what my coaches told me that if I slid over and took a charge, I’d get it. It was a huge turning point for us.”

Kaneland’s Connor Kimme (23) shoots under pressure from Crystal Lake South’s Noah Cook (1) during the Class 3A Woodstock North Sectional final on Friday, March 6, 2026. (Ryan Rayburn / The Beacon-News)

Cocroft, for one, has spent plenty of time with Kimme in the barn.

“When we have our team dinners, we’re not supposed to be in there shooting, but we’re in there shooting,” Cocroft said. “That’s just how much we care about this.

“He’s one of the best shooters on the team and we know that.”

Kimme, meanwhile, was ready for the moment.

“It means everything to me,” Kimme said. “I put so much effort in and have so many people believing in me. To perform the way I did and give us a spark, it means everything to me.”

Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/07/connor-kimme-kaneland-sectional-basketball/