Hinsdale Central: Day 1 Notebook
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PrepHoopsIllinois began our week long holiday tournament coverage with the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic. It was a fantastic day of hoops with a field of quality teams with numerous potential champions. Take a look at our Hinsdale Central: Day 1…
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Continue ReadingPrepHoopsIllinois began our week long holiday tournament coverage with the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic. It was a fantastic day of hoops with a field of quality teams with numerous potential champions. Take a look at our Hinsdale Central: Day 1 Notebook!
Homewood Flossmoor Defeats Maine South 51-34
Early on for Maine South it was the Casey Clark show! The 6’0” combo guard was on fire from three point land hitting three in a row to open and he didn’t stop there. Quick release and is not afraid to let it fly. He scored all of his 14 points in the first half. Sean Gallery is a junior shooting guard at 6’3” that brings some athleticism and mobility around the hoop to score on acrobatic layups. He had 6 points. Marko Anderson is a big man that rebounds well in his area. He had 7 points and 7 rebounds. For Homewood Flossmoor their 6’1” 2020 combo guard Josiah Palmer continues to be very underappreciated on the recruiting trail. Every time we see this kid he just produces! Wiry guard that has speed in transition, active hands on D, and can hit a three. He drilled an array of triples and scored in the open floor for 15 points. College of Charleston commit RJ Ogom got it going in the second half. The physical four man had a couple nice finishes on the block and showed he can put it on the deck going coast to coast off a defensive rebound. He had 17 points and 6 rebounds. Joel Watts ran the show and got to the rim a couple times for 9 points. HF was effective holding the ball and extending the lead in the fourth quarter. They won 51-34.
St. Charles East Rolls Over Lincoln Way Central 64-43
Early on it looked like St. Charles East was going to blow out LWC, but credit Lincoln Way Central for battling back. In the end thought the depth and balance was too much to overcome as St. Charles East won 64-43. St. Charles East was led by senior wing Chase Monkemeyer. The 6’4” small forward is a tough kid that finishes well around the hoop, hits open shots, and is a quality all-around small college player. He had 13 points. Zack Clodi stepped up for the Saints. The lefty guard drilled open shots and mid-range jumpers netting 12 points. For Lincoln Way Central they had an inside-outside 2021 tandem. Ryan Kraft was effective early with his soft touch around the hoop. The undersized four man had 11 points. Matt Maloney is a gritty combo guard that can really shoot the ball. He had 17 points on 6-8 shooting from the field.
Oswego East Wins Over Rockford Auburn 56-36
Sam Schultz is back for Oswego East. That is the big story from this game. The top unsigned post in the state has been out with an injury since July. He is back and coming off the bench for now. Schultz was excellent in his time on the floor shooting an efficient 7-9 from the field for 15 points. At 6’8” with his strength and mobility he is a major mismatch problem. Displayed a soft touch around the hoop. Got on the offensive glass for put backs. Showed some of his explosiveness on a baseline spin move. Spotted up in the corner for a three. Was solid rebounding and passing as well. Mid-majors and low-majors should be monitoring him. Their other star Will Wolfe is also among the best unsigned seniors in the state’s 2020 class. Wolfe wasn’t his usual dominant scoring self with his mid-range game, but stuffed the stat sheet. Hit a corner three early and had a sweet spin move for a bucket. Finished with 9 points. Even more so it was his 10 rebounds and precise passing that impressed. One of top wings still on the board. AJ Johnson is a 2021 guard that continues to shine as a junior. Spot up shooter that can hit mid-range shots as well. Smart player. Went for 7 points. Tremont Brewer showed toughness inside getting on the glass for 7 points and Odin Lium recorded 4 points in limited minutes. On the Rockford Auburn side it was Javin Davis who made a name for himself. The 6’3” two guard was particularly good in the first half with his strength slashing to the rim. He had 10 points. Inside it was undersized 6’4” post Mar’Quall Smith that got to the free throw line and finished in the paint on dump off passes. He had 9 points and 6 rebounds.
Stevenson D Dominates Glenbrook North After Early Scare
Glenbrook North looked like they were going to give one of the tournament favorites an epic upset early as Ben Foster went off from three in the first quarter! He hit four triples in the first quarter to pace Glenbrook North to an early 16-10 lead over Stevenson. Then Stevenson didn’t let Foster or literally anyone else scoring the entire second quarter as the Patriots took control and a half time lead of 22-16. They continued to clamp down on defense and use a well balanced attack to win by a final of 51-31. Matthew Kaznikov is a glue guy on this team, but on Monday he was the leading scorer as well for the Patriots. The 6’4” power forward is a strong kid that is gritty around the hoop and efficient with his touches. Also can stretch the floor shooting has he had 16 points. University of Indianapolis commit Matt Ambrose put the locks on Foster after his early barrage holding him to four points the rest of the game. Offensively he showcased his sound mid-range jumper and transition scoring for 9 points. Robert Holmes struggled scoring as he wasn’t aggressive going through his man. We like what he brought defensively though swatting several shots setting a tone down low and was solid on the glass. John Ittounas is a secondary scorer on this squad that cuts well without the ball and is assertive on the offensive glass. He had 11 points. For Glenbrook North Ben Foster led the way with 16 points including 4-8 from three.
St. Rita’s Christian Henry Wins it at Buzzer over Willowbrook
This was the best game of the day! It looked like Willowbrook was going to run away early as they opened up on a 12-0 run to start the game. To say that their 5’10” scoring point guard Everett Stubblefield was in a zone would be an understatement. He was looking like Allen Iverson with his shifty ball handling and deep threes. Stubblefield had 19 of his game high 21 points in the first half. Was hitting deep balls, scoop shots, and using his speed to blow past defenders in transition. Also liked what 2020 6’2” combo guard DeAndre Holliday brought to the table. Slick straight line driver that can also pass it a little. He had 7 points. 2020 guard Sam Bruns hit some big threes in the second half recording 11 points. St. Rita’s 2020 point guard Alec Millender is known more as a pass first guard, but he had the scoring tricks working in the first half. He single handedly brought his team back with a barrage of threes and smooth handles through defenders. Millender is headed to Wayne State and the D2 commit finished with 10 points and 6 assists. St. Rita’s inside duo played solid. Kevin Murney is a face up four man that has emerged as a senior with his skill and shooting. Runs the floor very well. He netted 14 points. Connor Serven struggled a bit offensively only recording 6 points, but came up huge on the glass with 11 rebounds. When his team needed a score they went to the best pure bucket getter on the team and he delivered. St. Rita 2021 combo guard Christian Henry took it right down the lane with seconds to go, threw up a runner, and it fell for the win 61-59. His floater game is definitely one of his strengths along with his acceleration getting downhill to the cup in the open floor. Henry continues his strong junior campaign going for 16 points and 6 dimes.
Marian Catholic Survives Huge Test vs TF South
Marian Catholic was one of the favorites coming into the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic. They were our pick to win the whole thing and then they almost lost in the first round. The Spartans barley survived a 57-54 win over TF South. It was a group effort for Marian Catholic, but their leader Iowa commit Ahron Ulis was key in the win. He has an advanced basketball IQ with the ability to read defenses on the move both in the half court and transition. Had several high level reads for assists. As a scorer he made a regular occurrence of getting in the lane for slick drives to the cup. He had 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Yemi Elutilo and Joe Green are a pair of rangy combo guards with length that play defensively who will be impactful gets at the small college level. Offensively Elutilo made several huge shots spotting up for threes. Went for 13 points on 3-4 from three. Green used his speed in transition to get to the rim. The senior had 17 points. Western Illinois commit Elijah Jones didn’t have a huge scoring game, but he had a nice finish on a back cut and several explosive blocks. It was a breakout game for Isaiah Lewis of TF South. The 6’5” 2021 combo forward has a strong frame along with quickness in the paint. Scored an efficient 18 points (7-12 FG) and grabbed 8 rebounds. A pair of unsigned seniors stepped up as well for TF South. Elijah Watson is a lanky 6’7” power forward that gets on the offensive glass and banked in mid-range shots for 11 points and 5 rebounds. Smaller guard Ahkil Lindsey drilled an array of threes for 14 points. He went 4-10 from three.
Seniors Shoot Lights Out in Westinghouse Win over Hinsdale Central
Fans of the host school got a special shooting performance from a pair of seniors on Monday night in Westinghouse’s 78-73 win over Hinsdale Central. Let’s start out with the Westinghouse side. When we saw unsigned senior guard Devin Davis a few weeks ago he was coming back from an ankle injury and didn’t quite have the lift he usually does on his jumper. That was not the case on Monday! He was throwing fire on his pull up jumper from mid-range and especially three. Davis hit 7-9 from beyond the arc mostly on threes he created on his own. Was balanced with sound form each time. Didn’t seem to force difficult shots either. He was a complete shooting show! Davis had 33 points. Look for his recruitment to pick up this winter. He was helped out by guard Kier Jordan who lived at the foul line knocking in 10-12 for his 14 points. Dwayne Walton was another perimeter scoring threat who chipped in 12 points. Like the upside a lot with 6’7” 2021 power forward Gary Johns. He jumped off the floor defensively with his length blocking shots. Offensively he finished dump offs and even hit a spot up three for 9 points. On the Hinsdale Central side their stud senior and Merrimack commit Ryan Isaacson was more than comfortable on his home floor. The skilled four man is known as a floor stretcher which he did to perfection connecting on 6-7 from thee point land. Smooth and effortless stroke letting it fly. Also has underrated athleticism with a reverse layup and couple blocks. Went for 30 points. A small college gem to watch is junk yard dog big man Mac Quast. Love the toughness and positioning he brings to the table scoring around the hoop for 10 points in an efficient manner.
DePaul Prep Guard Duo Shines in Finale Against Richards
Without big man Brian Matthews DePaul Prep had to rely on all their guards to speed the game up against Richards and their two star perimeter players to shine. They did just that in a 75-61 win. Class of 2021 shooting guard Tyler Johnson played both on and off the ball looking smooth either way. Got to his spots on the floor where he could elevate for shots. Hit pull up threes and mid-range jumpers. Also handled it better than we had seen in the past looking very fluid off the bounce in a 27 point effort. Lance Mosley is his running mate in the backcourt. The unsigned senior has been on a tear lately and woke up in the third quarter. Athletic two guard that was a volume shooter from three going 5-14 from distance. Good rebounder for a guard and gets loose in transition. Finished with 23 points. Richards was led by their junk yard dog four man Albert Jones. The 6’3” power forward plays bigger than his height because of his motor and positioning. Scores with toughness and crashes the glass. He had 24 points and 10 rebounds. Will be a great program guy for a small college. Slashing wing KaJuan Wines gets to the charity stripe. He had 20 points. We are intrigued with the upside of 6’6” 2021 wing Anthony Taylor. Long and lanky small forward that is smooth getting to the cup. Went for 10 points.