Collinsville Holiday Classic: Saturday Notebook

Saturday PrepHoopsIllinois took in the four quarterfinal contests from the Collinsville Prairie Farm Holiday Tournament. Check out our Collinsville Holiday Tournament: Saturday Notebook!   Mundelein Wins Thriller against O’Fallon This was a fun game between two of the most talented teams from a prospect standpoint at the event. Early on Mundelein’s star 2021 post Scottie Ebube got in foul trouble picking up two quick ones and later a third. With his physical brand of basketball he tends to draw fouls. Late in the game Ebube came up huge in all areas. Offensively he scored several powerful buckets around the hoop. He hit the glass and rebounded at a nice clip. Has some explosion blocking shots as well. Finished with 16 points (7-9 FG), 7 rebounds, and 6 blocks. Drake commit Conor Enright was a presence throughout the game. The lead guard knocked down his pull up jumpers like usual. Love his stop and pop game along with how he can pull up behind screens for threes. Also mixed in some drives in the second half on spin moves and scoop shots for 16 points. Also was excellent setting up his teammates throughout for 7 dimes. Early on Mundelein sleeper point guard Trey Baker knocked in a pair of threes for his 8 points. O’Fallon’s inside duo did most of their damage. Class of 2022 undersized five man Dawson Algee went to work in the first half! He is a strong kid that knows how to draw contact to get to the free throw line. Had a right handed hook shot he displayed. Quality offensive rebounder. Went for 14 points and 9 rebounds. Their 2021 power forward Shaun Riley continues to intrigue us. Bouncy four man can attack from the mid-post area with quick drives for explosive jams. Also one of the better offensive rebounders in his class with his elite second jump. Riley had 15 points and 10 rebounds. O’Fallon’s backcourt showed flashes. Mason Blakemore is a transfer from Centralia that brings athleticism and slashing recording 9 points. Highly ranked 2022 combo guard Caleb Burton showed flashes with a couple pull up jumpers from mid-range en route to his 7 points. Mundelein won 55-51.   Lincoln Defense and Senior Prevail over Belleville East The second quarterfinal featured Lincoln and Belleville East. Lincoln is one of the best year in and year out programs in central Illinois because of how well coached they are. Missouri S&T commit Kaden Froebe really impressed us with his play against his metro east opponent. The 6’3” lefty two guard is crafty with the ball in his hands. Sound perimeter shooter knocking down two early from distance. Also had a couple nifty drives, passed it well, and drilled his free throws for 16 points. Landon Hullinger is a sound perimeter shooter a s well from three and baseline netting 10 points. Will Ewald is a tough guard that contributed 8 points. For Belleville East they didn’t have a single player in double figures. The perimeter shots were just not falling for them on Saturday morning. Star 2022 Braxton Stacker did hit one early, but was streaky shooting other than that. The explosive wing has considerable upside. Was in foul trouble and recorded just 6 points. 2023 shooting guard Jordan Pickett drilled a couple threes. Eric Wade put his name on our radar with his play inside hitting the glass for put backs. He had 9 points.   Collinsville Speeds Past Decatur Eisenhower in 2nd Half At the half this was a super tight game as it was tied at 27-27. The third quarter changed everything as Collinsville raced past Eisenhower to take a commanding lead winning by the final of 65-50. SIU-Edwardsville commit Ray’Sean Taylor led the way. The explosive scoring point guard is a three level scorer that opened up with a post score and then easily stretched it out to three. The dynamic leader is a crisp ball handler that has a burst with the rock in his hands getting where he wants on the floor for scores. Finished with 19 points. His backcourt mate Cawhan Smith is a pesky guard on the defensive end that plays with a ton of speed end to end in transition. Went for 12 points. Inside unsigned 2020 post Keydrian Jones used his big body to score and board for 13 points. We love the upside of 2021 power forward Nate Hall. Mobile four man that can stretch the floor with his shooting, runs court with ease, and is a shot blocking presence. For Decatur Eisenhower it was the RJ Walker show. The 2021 scoring combo guard opened up hot scoring with creativity off the bounce and getting to the rim with regularity. He is a decent three point shooter as well. Finished with 16 points.   Springfield Southeast Advances to Semis over Madison Southeast continues to make noise in this tournament with a 62-50 win over Madison. Early on they were led by undersized four man Kamran Banks. The 6’4” sophomore is a junk yard dog on the glass. Got on the boards for put backs, finished through opponents, and hit a turnaround jumper. He had 18 points. Southeast’s top prospect is 2021 shooting guard James Dent. Struggled in the first half not getting hardly any looks at all and was held scoreless. Dent drilled a corner three to start the third, a pull up behind a screen, and then a turnaround jumper from the post. At the end of the game he racked up a ton of free throws. Silky smooth scorer finished with 15 points. For Madison their most impressive player was 6’1” point guard Javonnie Moore. The senior guard is a sound shooter from all over the floor knocking in both threes and mid-range shots. Gets after it defensively as well.