Jack Tosh Holiday Classic: Wednesday Notebook

Barron Dominates as Ignatius Routs R-B

In the beginning, it was the Reggie Ray Reggie Ray 6'2" | PG St. Ignatius | 2024 State IL show. He knocked down two early 3’s and buried to the hoop for numerous inside buckets. Ray had 14 early points. But then Richard Barron Richard Barron 6'5" | SF St. Ignatius | 2023 State IL stole the show. The 2023 SG made an impact in so many ways. He knocked down three straight 3-pointers late in the second quarter and finished the half with 14 points. His second half was just as impressive. He hit a couple more 3’s and got to the hoop with ease. Barron also facilitated well and added numerous assists to his stat sheet. The Wolfpack rolled to a big win. Richard Barron Richard Barron 6'5" | SF St. Ignatius | 2023 State IL scored 12 points while Reggie Ray Reggie Ray 6'2" | PG St. Ignatius | 2024 State IL had 17. The Wolfpack will face Lyons in the semifinal.

Cicic Takes Advantage of his Size

At 6’11”, Stefan Cicic Stefan Cicic 7'0" | C Riverside Brookfield | 2024 State IL creates tons of problems down low for Riverside-Brookfield. He had several second-chance buckets and blocks in the post early on. Cicic also impresses in the pick-and-roll offense to help create more scoring chan chances for the bulldogs. With Ignatius up big, Cicic helped bring the bulldogs back in it for a short bit. Cicic remains a high-impact player for R-B and finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Polonowski and Niego are an elite duo at Lyons

The match up between two elite forwards in Connor May Connor May 6'5" | SF Palatine | 2024 State IL (Palatine) and Nik Polonowski Nik Polonowski 6'6" | SF Lyons | 2023 State IL (Lyons) was the headliner. But it was the duo of Polonowski and his teammate, Jackson Niego Jackson Niego 6'0" | PG Lyons | 2023 State IL , that stole the show. Connor May Connor May 6'5" | SF Palatine | 2024 State IL scored all of Palatines points early and kept them in it. He scored ___ points. Nik Polonowski Nik Polonowski 6'6" | SF Lyons | 2023 State IL showed why he was the Lions go-to player early on. He hit several outside shots in the first half and was a consistent presence on both ends. In the second half, Jackson Niego Jackson Niego 6'0" | PG Lyons | 2023 State IL came alive. The senior floor general hit numerous tough baskets and extended the Lions lead to more than 20. The two combined for 28 points. Graham Smith, a 6’5″ forward for Lyons, scored 16 points and had 11 boards in the win.

Mark Nikolich-Wilson Mark Nikolich-Wilson 6'7" | C Rolling Meadows | 2023 State IL is a Massive Point Forward

Standing 6’7″ and 270 pounds, this big fella has the skills of a highly-productive floor general. He made two guard-like layups and in the first quarter and displayed excellent footwork down low. If the shot isn’t there, he’d have no problem kicking it out. To add on, MNW was on the bench for just a minute or so in the first half. So his fitness shouldn’t be a concern.

Rolling Meadows Erases Early Deficit Behind Christie, Sotirov

It was all Glenbrook South in the early going behind 10 points from Josh Wolf Josh Wolf 6'1" | SG Glenbrook South | 2023 IL and shutting out Cam Christie in the opening quarter. But it was all Rolling Meadows after that. Cam Christie got hot for a couple 3’s late in the first half and found 10 points at the break. In the third quarter, Tsvet Sotirov Tsvet Sotirov 6'7" | PF Rolling Meadows | 2023 State IL , a 6’7″ senior wing, shot a perfect 4-4 from the three point line to give Rolling Meadows a comfortable advantage. Cameron Christie Cameron Christie 6'4" | SG Rolling Meadows | 2023 State #76 Nation IL also knocked down a couple more 3’s as the two scored more than 2/3 of the teams points. Rolling Meadows would advance with a 74-64 win.

Bolingbrook Holds off Late Lemont Comeback

Bolingbrook got off to s strong start led by impressive interior play from Keon Alexander Keon Alexander 6'6" | PF Bolingbrook | 2023 State IL . Down double-digits, Lemont would crawl back. Rokas and Matas Castillo Matas Castillo 5'11" | PG Lemont | 2023 State IL each made their own plays. Getting to the hoop and shooting with confidence. A deep 3 from Matas tied the game up at 47. But some late buckets and free throws by Bolingbrook allowed the Raiders to squeak out a win. Matas and Rokas Castillo Rokas Castillo 5'11" | PG Lemont | 2023 State IL combined for 33 points.