O’Fallon Shootout: Saturday Notebook

The Bank of O'Fallon Shootout was held on Saturday. One of our favorite events of the year. The four game slate featured the three premier programs in St. Louis along with some of the top teams and prospects in Illinois. We break it all down here in O'Fallon Shootout: Saturday Notebook!   Chaminade Turns It Up in Second Half for Win Over Mascoutah In the first half this one was all Mascoutah as they led 38-32, but Chaminade quickly turned that around in the opening minutes of the third quarter with their defense and transition scoring as in the blink of an eye they had a lead and were never in danger in the fourth quarter winning 75-58. The St. Louis power showed what they were made of in the last 16 minutes outscoring their opponent by 23 points. They were led by 2023 shooting guard Nilavan-Jotham Daniels. Slender wing that can really shoot it from the perimeter off the catch and brings defensive versatility. He had 14 points. Another Chaminade 2023 to watch on this squad is point guard BJ Ward. Strong combo guard that looked to set up others more than score, but still managed to get buckets in the paint for 10 points. Really like what Millikin commits [player_tooltip player_id="1312400" first="Walter" last="Straughter"] and [player_tooltip player_id="985419" first="Nate" last="Straughter"] bring. The 6'2” wings are active defensively and excellent in the open floor scoring and slithering through the D. Walter had 18 in the win. [player_tooltip player_id="1180544" first="Filip" last="Sinobad"] is a small college post to watch. The senior has skill around the hoop and can block a shot going for 8 points. Mascoutah got an early push from their unsigned senior big man [player_tooltip player_id="1210406" first="Jack" last="Seibert"]. Liked what we saw out of him over the summer. Strong bodied post that is active on the offensive glass for put backs as he had four of them. Finishes well through contact netting 21 points. Fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id="863605" first="Justin" last="King"] is headed to UMSL next season. The smooth guard had a nice second quarter where his jumper fell scoring 13 points. Spark plug guard [player_tooltip player_id="1113516" first="Darien" last="Singleton"] is the energy scorer and x-factor for this team. Early on he had it going using his burst to get in the lane and hit several jumpers for 15 points.   Bolingbrook Holds On Against Host O'Fallon Bolingbrook has been a mainstay at this event over the years as Rob Brost loves to bring his team down. They scored a 54-48 win over the host school O'Fallon despite a comeback attempt late where the Panthers got within two. The best player on the floor was Bolingbrook 2023 point guard [player_tooltip player_id="989271" first="Mekhi" last="Cooper"]. The scoring lead guard had it all working using his acrobatic finishes, floaters, and draining deep threes on his way to a 19 point performance. He got help inside from 2023 power forward [player_tooltip player_id="939035" first="Donaven" last="Younger"]. Younger showed all the potential on one play grabbing a defensive rebound, running the floor, and slamming it on the move. Went for 10 points. Workman like game from senior [player_tooltip player_id="1210405" first="Michael" last="Osei-Bonsu"] who netted 10 points with his physical play on the interior. Continue to like where the game of O'Fallon 2024 shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id="1373443" first="Rini" last="Harris"] is trending. Ultra smooth wing that handles it being bale to create his own shot off the bounce either getting to the rack or pulling up. He had 13 points. Bright future! Senior combo guard [player_tooltip player_id="1276130" first="Caleb" last="Burton"] showed flashes in this one as he was at his best using his handles to break down defenders getting to the line going for 11 points.   Point Guards Shine in Battle of Big Men as Martin Leads CBC to W The third game was a contest between CBC and St. Rita. It was a slow start to the game as both teams struggled to score in the first half. This game had three potential five star post prospects in the 2024 class. The real star in CBC's 56-51 win was their 2022 point guard [player_tooltip player_id="984502" first="Rob" last="Martin"]. The unsigned senior has been around forever playing since he was a freshman. When the game was on the line he took over. Straight line take, steal and layup, pull up three, another steal and fouled in a row! Martin is a smaller guard that plays with a high IQ, can hit pull up jumpers, and finishes with acrobatics. Went for 25 points. He got help on the perimeter from his fellow unsigned guard Larry Hughes Jr. The senior two guard is a smooth scorer that gets after it on the defensive end turning steals into points finishing with bounce. He had 9 points. It was a quiet first half for top in-state 2024 point guard [player_tooltip player_id="1157213" first="Jaedin" last="Reyna"], but he got it going in the second half recording all 16 of his points in the second stanza. The pull up game from deep started to flow for him as he connected on an array of threes mixing in some floaters for 16 points. Freshman phenom Melvin Bell had a solid outing with 12 points. Was aggressive in the first half when they couldn't really get anything going getting to the line and in the second half had his mid-range game connecting. The twin towers each had flashes but not a dominant performance from either. Top 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1157228" first="James" last="Brown"] had a couple of nice power spins in the first half along with a transition finish for 6 points. Illini commit 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1157230" first="Morez" last="Johnson"] had the play of the game on a huge tip slam. Recorded only 5 points, but did a nice job on the defensive glass and altering shots. Each should be credited with containing CBC star [player_tooltip player_id="1125608" first="John" last="Bol"] to only a couple points.   Vashon Tops Whitney Young in Battle of STL vs Chicago There is always a lot of talk about Chicago against St. Louis or the Metro East teams vs Chicago. This was a prime example of that with two of the best programs, coaches, and teams battling. Whitney Young jumped out early, but Vashon came back and held a steady lead throughout the night of four to ten points throughout as the Wolverines won by a final of 58-50. Vashon 6'5” 2023 small forward [player_tooltip player_id="1362685" first="Kennard" last="Davis"] has been one of my favorites to watch from the STL this season. Power wing that can attack downhill, rebound, play in open floor, and has touch on jumper. Did a little bit of everything leading them to a win with 16 points. Their inside duo of [player_tooltip player_id="1071870" first="Anthoni" last="Sandford"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1264291" first="Cameron" last="Stovall"] provide toughness on the boards, defensively, and score when needed as each had 6 points. Another 2023 to watch is rangy lefty wing [player_tooltip player_id="981142" first="Jayden" last="Nicholson"]. He showed flashes on drives where he was often fouled and a mid-range jumper for 7 points. Whitney Young was led by their inside/outside duo of [player_tooltip player_id="771516" first="AJ" last="Casey"] and [player_tooltip player_id="939057" first="Dalen" last="Davis"]. Casey is a top 5 prospect in the senior class and headed to Miami next year. Opened the game with several big dunks and showcased his athleticism in the paint throughout in a 17 point outing. His point guard 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="939057" first="Dalen" last="Davis"] just made a big jump into the top 5 of the rankings and has played like it this season. Heady point guard who found Casey for several of those dunks. Also had it consistently falling from the perimeter in a 15 point night. Northern Illinois commit [player_tooltip player_id="863585" first="Xavier" last="Amos"] had his moments recording 9 points. A big story down the line will be the return of [player_tooltip player_id="1048324" first="Daniel" last="Johnson"]. The top 10 junior is coming back from an injury that has sidelined him all season. Played limited minutes but did manage 4 points. Could be x-factor in state run!