5 Takeaways: Whitney Young vs Kenwood

<p>There were a lot of great games on Monday night.  With that being said there was one MUST SEE SHOW STOPPING contest.  Whitney Young vs Kenwood. Part 3!  Each team won one earlier in the season so this was the rubber match. Whitney Young led the majority of the game with Kenwood making several strong runs in a game that saw the momentum swing back and forth.  The Dolphins had the last swing as they won 75-62.  Here are our <strong>5 Takeaways: Whitney Young vs Kenwood</strong>!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Whitney Young Frontline Comes Up Huge</strong></p> <p>Early in the contest it was the [player_tooltip player_id="863585" first="Xavier" last="Amos"] show!  The Northern Illinois commit is a top 10 senior that doesn’t get the pub he deserves for how productive he is on a night in and night out basis.  Love how this kid can put it on the deck from the high post, handle in the open floor, and has skilled moves around the hoop while being super athletic.  Takes it right at the defense with a ferocity!  Snatches rebounds in traffic.  He had 19 points.  Miami commit [player_tooltip player_id="771516" first="AJ" last="Casey"] put up 14 points in the win.  He had an array of finishes around the hoop including dunks, euro steps, and spin moves finishing with his off hand.  [player_tooltip player_id="1048717" first="Marcus" last="Overstreet"] is a lengthy center that that comes off the bench for the Dolphins swatting shots and rebounding.  Sleeper unsigned senior.  The x-factor for Champaign is going to be [player_tooltip player_id="1048324" first="Daniel" last="Johnson"].  This top 10 2023 is coming back from an injury proving he is ready to go as he scored 15 points.  Plus shooter only hit one three, but was effective getting to the line and was all over the glass.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Davis Lives Up to Status</strong></p> <p>Whitney Young point guard [player_tooltip player_id="939057" first="Dalen" last="Davis"] lived up to his status as a top 5 prospect in the 2023 class.  He always seems to play well on the big stage.  Made the right decisions as a distributor throughout the night especially in the half court.  Got to the line where he made his free throws.  His go to pull up mid-range shot was flowing.  Also mixed in several nifty takes where he got it up on the glass for points netting 18 in the win.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Kenwood Top 5 2023 Duo Shine</strong></p> <p>Top ranked junior [player_tooltip player_id="939050" first="Darrin" last="Ames"] was spectacular in the loss.  He literally did everything in his power to try to carry his team to the win.  Ames won on straight line drives over and over in the first half with his explosive first step.  The junior is so smooth being able to get the angle he needs to score in the paint against traffic.  Multiple and-1s and reverse finishes, but his best highlight was a pass where in traffic he went around his back before dishing it off.  Finished with 21 points.  His junior running mate [player_tooltip player_id="939069" first="Davius" last="Loury"] had a rock solid performance as well.  Well built power forward that can stretch the floor with his shooting hitting a pair of threes and a baseline jumper.  Was active on the glass and made several nice passes in a 16 point outing.  Looked the part of a high-major combo forward.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Energy 2024 Plays Well on Big Stage</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1285487" first="Calvin" last="Robbins"] was the name that stepped up for Kenwood.  With their other 2024 post out it was the high energy four man that provided a spark with his bounce around the hoop on both ends as a dive threat and offensive rebounder.  Brings rim protection on the defensive end as well.  He had 12 points.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Dolphins Primed for Run at Crown</strong></p> <p>That was one of the most intense games I have seen all season.  Both teams wanted it bad and you could tell.  Also a great atmosphere at UIC.  Whitney Young now heads to Champaign where they get Barrington.  Although they can’t overlook them everyone is pointing toward a rematch of the top two preseason teams in the state in the final game of the season.  Last time it wasn’t pretty against Glenbard West.  If they bring it like they did tonight who knows!</p>