Pontiac Holiday Tournament: Tuesday Notebook

The Pontiac Holiday Tournament began on Tuesday with a loaded field! PHI took in all eight contests and recaps it here in Pontiac Holiday Tournament: Tuesday Notebook!   West Aurora Opens Up with Win It looked like West Aurora was going to win in blowout fashion after they led 13-2 after the first quarter, but just like we saw yesterday there was a comeback courtesy of Lockport in this one. West Aurora pulled away in the fourth quarter thanks to some sharp shooting from 2024 guard [player_tooltip player_id="1157226" first="Josh" last="Pickett"] banging in three huge triples to give them some room as they would eventually capture the victory 46-37. Pickett showed crisp passing in the first half, but also struggled with a few turnovers in his 14 point outing. Scoring combo with a bright future! Their other star is 2022 forward [player_tooltip player_id="1210374" first="Ty" last="Rogers"]. Skilled 6’7” combo forward that can stretch the floor with his shooting as he nailed four of them in this game along with rebounding well. Should be looked at by D2s as he had 17 points. Lockport was paced by their 2022s [player_tooltip player_id="1183893" first="Ethan" last="Gallagher"] and Niko Vassilakis. Gallagher is a rock solid high end small college prospect with his slashing ability and overall skilled game. Created quite a few turnovers that his team converted on the other end. He had 9 points.   New Trier Handles Business vs Peoria Manual We knew that New Trier had title ability at Pontiac and they opened with a strong first contest in a 65-44 win against Peoria Manual. They are so skilled across the board as all five guys on the floor can shoot it and pass. It all starts with their Dartmouth commit in 2022 power forward [player_tooltip player_id="1210370" first="Jackson" last="Munro"]. Face up four that can stretch the floor with his shooting, seal in the high/low, and crash the glass. Went for 18 points. The other star on this team is 2023 sharp shooter [player_tooltip player_id="1215287" first="Jake" last="Fiegen"]. There are a lot of top marksmen in the state this year, but none are as good as Fiegen. Top pure shooter in the state is an elite three point shooter that drained them all over the floor off the catch with a lighting quick release for 21 points. He had six triples in the win. New Trier’s 2022 forward [player_tooltip player_id="1169886" first="Noah" last="Shannon"] is the ideal small college prospect. Skilled combo forward that moves well without the ball, pass, and can knock in a shot as he had 9 points Peoria Manual got a nice outing from Kamron Causley. The athletic small forward brings nice slashing ability being able to put it on the deck and finish in the paint for 15 points. Their 2023 shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id="1279757" first="Justin" last="Page"] was the prospect we were most looking forward to seeing. Showed flashes of his shake off the bounce along with a couple threes for 14 points.   Simeon with a Workman Like Win to Open Tournament The Wolverines struggled to score at points in the first half, but they definitely brought their A game on the defensive end as Simeon won over Plainfield North 65-28. Early on it was [player_tooltip player_id="771517" first="Jaylen" last="Drane"] who got things going for the Wolverines with his aggressiveness off the bounce slithering through the defense. Mid-range game was on point as the top unsigned senior guard in the state had 8 points. He was helped in the backcourt by [player_tooltip player_id="925193" first="Avyion" last="Morris"] who was a monster on the defensive end along with throwing some sick dimes. Junior standout [player_tooltip player_id="939059" first="Jalen" last="Griffith"] drained an array of jumpers from mid-range and three including a sweet stutter step back for 9 points. The big boys inside did their part! [player_tooltip player_id="1048306" first="Miles" last="Rubin"] showed off the bounce throwing down a nasty and-1 lob along with swatting shots en route to 10 points. His twin [player_tooltip player_id="1048305" first="Wesley" last="Rubin"] hit the glass for put backs and had a nifty reverse layup going for 8 points. Both are 2023 D1 talents! The leading scorer for the Wolverines was senior wing [player_tooltip player_id="863622" first="JayQuan" last="Adams"]. Bouncy two way small forward loves to play above the rim in transition and let it fly from deep as he had 11 points. Bright spot for Plainfield North was the emergence of their 2024 shooting guard Jeffery Fleming. Crafty 6’2” guard that scored most of his points in the paint against Simeon’s length as he did a nice job maneuvering for buckets. He had 16 points.   Oak Park River Forest 1-2 Punch Knocks Out Warren What a performance from Denver commit [player_tooltip player_id="1106926" first="Justin" last="Mullins"] in OPRF’s 81-55 victory over Warren. Mullins was in all out attack mode on both ends from the very beginning of the contest. He started it off with dominant defense using his length and size to intimidate his opponent. Then he got out in transition where he was magnificent. Flew down the court for massive dunks including the play of the day on a lob jam over a Warren defender. The tenacity that he played with running the floor hard and covering a ton of ground when it was in his hands was quite impressive. Won off the dribble in the half court as well and was an active rebounder going for 31 points. His running mate [player_tooltip player_id="939068" first="Sam" last="Lewis"] was good as an all-around player in this contest. The top 10 2023 prospect has excellent size for position with a clean shooting stroke as he nailed a pair of threes. Silky smooth euro step game and passed it well finishing with 12 points. Fellow 2023 point guard [player_tooltip player_id="1215321" first="Christian" last="Marshall"] brought the toughness on the defensive end, shared the ball, and made some difficult shots as well. Warren was led by senior Andrew Dolan. The 5’11” point guard is a senior that can make shots with his lefty stroke. Went for 19 points. [player_tooltip player_id="1207938" first="Cooper" last="Stacey"] presents nice size and gets to the foul line as he had 10 points. Both are small college guys.   Marlowe Leads Way in Comeback Win Danville jumped out early 20-6 with an impressive showing, but St. Charles North senior [player_tooltip player_id="925225" first="Ethan" last="Marlowe"] wasn’t having any of that! The 2022 face up four went off in the last three quarters recording 22 points and 14 rebounds in St. Charles North’s 70-47 win. Marlowe was fantastic in the second quarter getting pretty much whatever he wanted against the smaller Danville squad. Skilled big man hit right handed and left handed hooks with regularity. Spin moves, euro steps, and mid-range jumpers were also part of his attack. Rebounded well on both ends and protected the rim throughout. Looks the part of a stud D2 recruit! He had help from the Love twins. Class of 2022 small forward [player_tooltip player_id="1106928" first="Max" last="Love"] is a skilled wing that can really shoot the rock off the catch with solid size. His brother [player_tooltip player_id="1210420" first="Jude" last="Love"] is such a great glue guy as a passer, defender, and rebounder. Max had 16 points and 12 rebounds while Jude went for 6 points. Great D3/NAIA gets! Another small college gem stood out for Danville in [player_tooltip player_id="1218553" first="Martez" last="Rhodes"]. Thick bodied small forward is most effective playing inside/out. Uses his strength and quickness inside for buckets and can take it outside a bit at times as he had 23 points. Came away intrigued with the long term potential of 2025 point guard JaVaughn Robinson. Lanky combo guard is a slick ball handler that gets in the lane and showed some creativity scoring 9 points.   Curie Survives to Pull Away in #1 - #16 Matchup Bloomington is not your normal #16 seed and they played like it against top seed Curie. The tradition rich program came out with everything they had only trailing 31-27 at the half. In the second half Curie pulled away to win 80-60. At the end of the day the big boys inside were just too much. The junior duo of [player_tooltip player_id="1056104" first="Chikasi" last="Ofoma"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1148119" first="Jeremy" last="Harrington"] are one of the top frontlines in the state. Ofoma is a grown man with elite athleticism. He physically mauls opponents on the glass for powerful scores on his way to 23 points. [player_tooltip player_id="1148119" first="Jeremy" last="Harrington"] also did his thing inside with tough buckets in the paint on put backs and transition finishes for 17 points. Both are on that low-major/D2 edge right now. College coaches are taking notice of the production though! In the backcourt their senior leader [player_tooltip player_id="1049088" first="Phoenix" last="Bullock"] had his moments along with excellent play from 2024 shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id="1157211" first="Carlos" last="Harris"] who is a downhill attacking running back with the rock in his hands. Harris had 13 points. Bloomington point guard [player_tooltip player_id="1048316" first="Adam" last="Beasley"] is a 2023 that has been on the radar for a while. Shifty playmaker that wins off the bounce and makes acrobatic shots around the cup. Speed in transition and an exciting playmaker who netted 14 points. Bright future for 2024 shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id="1285483" first="Niko" last="Newsome"]. The highly ranked sophomore showed up on the big stage getting to the cup off the bounce for slick scores and hit a pull up in a 13 point effort.   Benet Looks Part in Win Over Host Pontiac The Redwings weren’t going to let Pontiac’s crowd even get into the game as they started out 25-5 in the first quarter and extended that lead throughout the game winning by a final of 72-35. It was a pretty balanced effort as it always is for Benet. They got a nice outing from 2023 shooting guard Brady Kunka. Strong bodied lefty is a quality spot up shooter that does some dirty work around the hoop. He had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Like the developmental upside of Nikola Absura. The Benet 2023 small forward has good length, instincts, and impacts the game on both ends. Offensively he has athletic pop above the rim and is a creative ball handler. We had him for 13 points. Also a solid outing from [player_tooltip player_id="996084" first="Brady" last="Heckman"] who is a small college senior guard. Hit a couple threes and was effective setting up others. Kerr Bauman is a young player to build on for Pontiac. Capable shooter that mixed in some runners throughout the night. Sophomore to track long term had 11 points.   Cinderella Appears Before Midnight as Joliet West Knocks Off Bloom In the last game of the night #13 seed Joliet West beat #4 seed Bloom by a final of 62-51. Classic NCAA March Madness seed upset. They were led by 2023 combo guard [player_tooltip player_id="1048319" first="Jayden" last="Martin"] who was dynamic scoring 24 points in the victory. Strong bodied and compact guard that is a crisp jump shooter with range and has the frame to finish in the paint through taller defenders. In the second half [player_tooltip player_id="1210431" first="Skylar" last="Crudup"] stepped up with some high energy plays along with the momentum sealer on a steal and massive dunk. Went for 13 points. Their star 2025 point guard Jeremiah Fears had his moments in the victory. Shifty ball handler set others up and scored 9 points. Really like where the game of Bloom 2024 point guard [player_tooltip player_id="1352590" first="Gianni" last="Cobb"] is headed. Athletic lead guard with scoring ability from all three levels as he had 15 points. [player_tooltip player_id="939060" first="Raeshom" last="Harris"] flashed smooth drives as he has such easy acceleration netting 10 points. The game really was sealed when Bloom 2022 post [player_tooltip player_id="863599" first="Emondrek" last="Ford"] fouled out after a technical. The shot blocker and athletic post was impactful in this game showing a hook shot, drive game from high-post, and hit a three. Also did a nice job on the glass, blocked a few shots, and we liked the passing we saw from him.