Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic: Thursday Notebook
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Back for more action from the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic on Thursday. Three of the four quarterfinal games were played with one being forfeited as Stevenson advanced with a no contest, but the other three were heavily contested battles. See…
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Continue ReadingBack for more action from the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic on Thursday. Three of the four quarterfinal games were played with one being forfeited as Stevenson advanced with a no contest, but the other three were heavily contested battles. See who won and who shined in Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic: Thursday Notebook!
Homewood Flossmoor Wins Battle of Bigs vs St. Rita
This was the quarterfinal we pointed to before the event as the best potential matchup and the stars stepped up. Homewood Flossmoor 2022 power forward Christian Meeks Christian Meeks 6'6" | SF Homewood Flossmoor | 2022 State IL was a man child on the interior leading his team to a 61-59 win. Not afraid of the St. Rita twin towers at all as he went for 29 points (12-18 FG) in the win. High-energy power forward is so quick and agile around the hoop. Put backs and and-1s on the regular. Can put it on the deck comfortably a couple dribbles out. Did hit one three but is pretty streaky from distance. Mauls on the boards as a tenacious rebounder. Should be considered by low-major, high-D2, and top tier JUCO programs. Absolutely love the upside of 2024 forward Lee Marks Lee Marks 6'6" | SF Mt. Carmel | 2024 State IL . Rangy forward opened with a pick/pop three, showed athleticism on defense, and had a nice spin move for a bucket en route to 8 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 blocks.
St. Rita got a nice game out of the top sophomore in the state James Brown James Brown 6'9" | C Link Academy (from Chicago) | 2024 #66 Nation MO . The five star center ripped off 9 of his 19 points in the first four minutes of the game. So skilled with fluid spin moves and advanced footwork. Nimble moves in the paint including reverse layups and rim running for scores. In addition to 19 points he grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out 4 dimes. His point guard Jaedin Reyna Jaedin Reyna 6'0" | PG Bishop Noll | 2024 State IN also had a solid game in the first half. Drained a quartet of triples (4-5 3PT) along with pushing in the open floor going for 14 points. Morez Johnson Morez Johnson 6'9" | PF Thornton | 2024 State #33 Nation IL was coming back after missing yesterday’s game. He was still working his way back into things, but no doubting what the St. Rita four man and Illini commit brings to the table with his elite athleticism and explosiveness in the paint. He had 11 points and 6 rebounds.
Oswego East Stays Undefeated in Massive Comeback Against Marian Catholic
This was a fun game! Marian Catholic had everything rolling and it looked like they were going to pull away. A flip switched in the fourth quarter and Oswego East stormed back to send the game to OT and ultimately win it 54-49. Class of 2023 small forward Mekhi Lowery Mekhi Lowery 6'5" | SF Oswego East | 2023 State IL continues to raise his stock. He was excellent as a two way wing in this one. Looks much more comfortable putting it on the deck as a slasher. Smooth game off the bounce and is a capable shooter looking good hitting a mid-range shot and a three. Played off his defense in the open floor and got some big stops on that end going for 19 points (6-9 FG), 7 rebounds, and 4 steals. Will see a bump in the next update and should be under consideration at the low-major level. When key plays needed to be made UMSL commit Patrick Robinson Patrick Robinson 6'4" | SG Oswego East | 2022 State IL stepped up to make them. Power wing that plays bully ball around the hoop and finishes so well through contact. He had 9 points on the night despite the perimeter shot not falling at all.
Marian Catholic 2022 shooting guard Jeremiah Jones Jeremiah Jones 6'4" | SG Marian Catholic | 2022 State IL definitely looks the part of a low-major wing. Excellent defender that can check multiple perimeter spots at the next level. Loves to get points off his defense going the other way for buckets in transition. Creative ball handler that has some wiggle off the dribble. Bit of a streaky shooter who did hit a couple including a wing three. He had 19 points (8-20 FG) and 3 steals. Couple of others that caught our eye where backcourt mates Quentin Jones and Tre Davis. Jones is a 2023 wing that has emerged on our radar this season with his quality frame, defense, and ability to score in the open floor as he had 8 points. Davis is a scoring combo guard that is a bucket getter with range on shot and a stocky frame. Dropped 12 points on 5-6 from the field.
Hinsdale Central Upsets DePaul Prep in 45-44 Victory to Advance
It was another nailbiter in the last quarterfinal of the night. Host Hinsdale Central went up against CCL prep powerhouse DePaul Prep. Hinsdale Central did a nice job limiting possessions and keeping it a low scoring game against the firepower of DePaul Prep. Their defense along with a monster outing from Ben Oosterbaan helped them capture a 45-44 victory. Oosterbaan is a Michigan baseball commit that put on a clinic with his shot making in this game. Got his jumper off from a number of angles. Also put it on the deck for several tough and-1s in his 21 point outing where he grabbed 10 rebounds. Also got help from his point guard Jake Quast Jake Quast 6'3" | SG Hinsdale Central | 2022 State IL . The small college guard is a gritty senior who netted 11 points.
The prospect from DePaul Prep that caught our eye the most was Jaylan McElroy Jaylan McElroy 6'7" | PF DePaul Prep | 2024 State #262 Nation IL . The 2024 power forward has a great frame, long arms, and explosiveness around the basket. Snatches rebounds in traffic, runs the floor hard, finishes dump offs, and can put it on the deck for a sweet and-1. Went for 8 points (4-6 FG) and 8 rebounds.