Kenwood junior Damari Stephens' drive to the basket beats Hyde Park with 1.5 seconds left

Several historic Public League rivalries are struggling. Shifting conference alignments and schedules that prioritized matching the best teams up regularly short-changed the neighborhood showdowns that had been the lifeblood of Chicago basketball.

Chicago Public Schools returned to a more sensible geographic-based setup this year. That should help revitalize some of the old rivalries.

Kenwood vs. Hyde Park, a five-decade long neighborhood grudge match, is still alive and well. There was electricity in Kenwood’s second-floor gym on Thursday. Maybe too much.

Both teams shot poorly, and the game was sloppy overall. It’s early in the season and for many players it was the first major Public League game of their varsity career.

Kenwood junior Damari Stephens, the best-known player on the floor, had a rough game overall. He battled foul trouble and never really got going.

But with the game tied in the final seconds, Stephens found a way to the basket and scored to give the No. 18 Broncos a 42-40 victory.

“I just had to show up,” Stephens said. “That was a big moment for me. I had to help my team win. [Hyde Park] was talking a lot, talking real crazy. I had to shut them down.”

Junior guard Osiris Bell (10 points) and 6-7 senior Prince McCord (14 points, nine rebounds) led the way for the Broncos (6-0, 3-0 Red Central). But McCord fouled out with 3:02 left, and Bell twisted his ankle and left the game with 56 seconds left.

“I knew [Stephens] was going to take over,” Bell said. “That’s what he does. He was going to show up when it was time. I had all faith in him.”

Hyde Park (6-2, 2-1) had 18 turnovers and Kenwood had 15. Stephens’ game-winner with 1.5 seconds left was the only field goal in the final 3:15 of the game.

“The energy from the crowd got to us,” Bell said. “We have to adapt to it. This was our first big game so we will be better in the next one.”

Stephens finished with six points and six rebounds. Senior Jordan Walker added 11 points, four rebounds and two steals for the Broncos.

“A win like this helps tremendously,” Kenwood coach Mohammed Cookbey said. “We have a lot of new guys in new roles. [Bell and Stephens] both have much bigger roles now. They both have Division I offers and they are getting accustomed to leading a team.”

Guard Lonnie Mosley led Hyde Park with 10 points, and 6-6 senior Jacobi Walls added eight points and eight rebounds.

“We had too many turnovers and too many missed free throws,” Thunderbirds coach Jerrel Oliver said. “We gave the game away.”

Kenwood led most of the game, but Hyde Park grabbed a 37-34 advantage on Mosely’s drive to the basket with 6:14 left. Bell responded with back-to-back buckets for Kenwood, and McCord scored on a post move to put the Broncos back up 40-37, and they never trailed again.

Cookbey wasn’t surprised that Stephens came up big on Kenwood’s final possession.

“We prepare for that in practice,” Cookbey said. “They get coached hard and I’m very demanding. We put them in different situations, so they are ready for these moments. I believe in my players that they can make big plays and the right reads in those situations.”