3A & 4A State Semi Finals Notebook

Friday was one of the best days of basketball all year with four fun games and a ton of prospects across the board. We recap the big school state semis in 3A & 4A State Semi Finals Notebook!   3A Sacred Heart Griffin Wins Game of Runs Over St. Ignatius This game was back and forth with monster swings each way. Ignatius opened up strong at the beginning and then Sacred Heart Griffin came back 15-0. St. Ignatius made a run back. Once Sacred Heart Griffin got the lead they would never give it up winning 50-39. [player_tooltip player_id="1113521" first="Zack" last="Hawkinson"] was amazing for Sacred Heart Griffin. The strong bodied small forward played his game which is bully ball on slashes, getting on the glass, finishing through contact, and he hit a couple threes. Finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds. His running mate [player_tooltip player_id="989267" first="Jake" last="Hamilton"] struggled a bit shooting it going 5-15 from the field for 15 points. He was crafty with it off the bounce and was solid passing the rock. Fellow junior point guard Keshon Singleton used his athleticism on the glass and speed in the open floor for 7 points and 9 rebounds. St. Ignatius fought through injuries and foul trouble all game as three of their big four would foul out. Best player for them in this one was unsigned senior [player_tooltip player_id="863613" first="AJ" last="Redd"]. The slender built shooting guard struggled shooting it from distance and missed a few bunnies but still managed to get 14 points on slick takes to the rim for layups and runners. Also got to the foul line. He had 6 rebounds and 3 dimes as well. Their star junior [player_tooltip player_id="989270" first="Richard" last="Barron"] had only 6 points in this game. Hurt his ankle in the first half. Came back in the second opening with a high/low finish but wasn’t his usual self.   Metamora Shocks Simeon With Run to End Game Metamora came ready to play against the top ranked Simeon Wolverines as they started out 18-12 in the first quarter. Simeon took the lead back, but Metamora always maintained connection throughout the game and then they went on an 11-0 run to close the game winning 50-47. Their top prospect is Metamora 2023 small forward [player_tooltip player_id="939065" first="Ethan" last="Kizer"]. He hit a pair of threes early on and then was quiet until he drained the biggest shot of his career on a triple from the top of the key to give them the lead that they wouldn’t give up. He had 9 points. Fellow junior [player_tooltip player_id="1371068" first="Tyson" last="Swanson"] made a ton of key plays down the stretch including a pair of buckets on cuts away from the ball and a pair of threes for 15 points. Senior leader Zach Schroeder had 8 points along with all the intangible stuff he does. We came away impressed with a couple of underclassmen for this group. Class of 2024 6’0” shooting guard Tyler Mason drained an array of threes, runners, and made some nice passes in the paint for 10 points. Freshman Matthew Zobrist put his name on our radar scoring four points showing athleticism on takes. For Simeon [player_tooltip player_id="939059" first="Jalen" last="Griffith"] had some spectacular moments in the first half. The shifty 2023 point guard hit a three and consistently won off the bounce for floaters and layups. He had 12 points. [player_tooltip player_id="771517" first="Jaylen" last="Drane"] was very good as well, but picked up his fourth foul late in the third quarter. Before that he was dominant in the third stanza with three athletic drives for buckets and and-1s as he had 12 points.   4A Barrington Owns First Half But Whitney Young’s Defense Wins Game in Second It looked like Barrington was primed for another upset as they had a 16-0 run in the second quarter and couldn’t miss. They took a lead of 31-24 into the half. Whitney Young came out with the most intensity I have ever seen a high school team have collectively getting steal after steal by disrupting passing lanes along with getting deflections. They scored off of them for a 10-0 run to begin the second half. It was close until the end, but Whitney Young made the key plays down the stretch as the Dolphins advance to the title game 51-47. For Whitney Young each player had their moments, but the most consistent throughout was [player_tooltip player_id="939057" first="Dalen" last="Davis"]. The top 5 2023 prospect was calm, cool, and collected. Made plays as a distributor draining pull up jumpers and pushing off his defense recording 11 points. 3 assists, and 3 steals. [player_tooltip player_id="939072" first="Marcus" last="Pigram"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1048324" first="Daniel" last="Johnson"] are fellow juniors that had key stretches. Pigram was dominant late in the second quarter with his defense and hitting an array of pull ups for 12 points. Johnson showed his two way versatility as a perimeter defender and shooter in a 10 point outing. Down the stretch Northern Illinois commit [player_tooltip player_id="863585" first="Xavier" last="Amos"] went to work with four post scores along with two free throws to seal the win in a 10 point performance. Barrington got a tremendous outing from Washington University commit [player_tooltip player_id="1106946" first="Will" last="Grudzinski"]. The strong and skilled face up four put all of his skills on display in this one. He had an array of mobile finishes in the paint and was lights out from the perimeter with his jumper netting 24 points. His point guard [player_tooltip player_id="1106932" first="Daniel" last="Hong"] is a steady leader that can also really shoot it both pulling up and off the catch which he did nailing three triples for 11 points. Evan Jno-Baptiste brought the scrappy energy on the perimeter along with making a few shots for 10 points.   Glenbard West Lives Up to Hype in Front of Statewide Audience The rest of the state got to see on Friday what we have been watched since June. Glenbard West has been phenomenal since we first saw them at Riverside Brookfield. They have lost 1 game since that day. Bolingbrook held with Glenbard West for most of the first half until a 12-0 run in the last 1:40 of the half blew it open and the second half was showtime for the top ranked squad as Glenbard West went on to win 77-47. I tweeted at the beginning of the contest a storyline to follow was the top unsigned senior in Illinois [player_tooltip player_id="863598" first="Bobby" last="Durkin"] playing with college coaches on hand. He didn’t disappoint. The 6’7” combo forward dropped 30 points including 7-12 from three point land. About as elite of a shooter as there is with his quick and easy release. Gonzaga commit [player_tooltip player_id="925183" first="Braden" last="Huff"] started it off strong with a pair of catch and shoot threes. Also was effective around the hoop as the PHI Player of the Year scored in the paint as well finishing with 20 points. Princeton commit [player_tooltip player_id="996060" first="Caden" last="Pierce"] lit up Bolingbrook’s defense with his passing and always seemed to be around the ball to make a key play finishing with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 4 dimes, and 3 steals. Army commit [player_tooltip player_id="1106936" first="Ryan" last="Renfro"] did what he always does which is play his role by rebounding and letting the scoring come to him in a 8 point and 10 rebound outing. Bolingbrook point guard [player_tooltip player_id="989271" first="Mekhi" last="Cooper"] was a standout especially early for The Brook. Quick point guard that loves to let it fly from distance. That is exactly what he did draining 4-9 from three including a couple of deep ones. Also did a nice job setting up his teammates while scoring 16 points. Junk yard dog undersized post [player_tooltip player_id="1210405" first="Michael" last="Osei-Bonsu"] had a quiet first half, but let it rip in the second going for 16 points. Wide bodied post moved bodies inside while also grabbing 11 rebounds.