Pekin Holiday Tournament: Tuesday Morning Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>PHI began the second day of holiday tournaments covering the Pekin Holiday Tournament.&nbsp; We caught four great games with teams from all over the state.&nbsp; Let's dive into our thoughts in <strong>Pekin Holiday Tournament: Tuesday Morning Notebook</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Morton Sophomore Impresses in Opening Win</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both Morton and Plainfield North came out firing for a 9 AM game on a Tuesday morning hitting shots all over the floor.&nbsp; As the game got to a more regular pace Morton began to take control of the contest as they went on to win 60-50.&nbsp; Huge reason why was the play of 2025 6'4” small forward [player_tooltip player_id='1232827' first='Wes' last='Gudeman'].&nbsp; Burst on our radar with a 25 point outing.&nbsp; The strong bodied lefty is a crafty scorer that did all his damage in the lane on nifty finishes and converting through contact for and-1s.&nbsp; Skilled and tough kid that also rebounds well grabbing 8 boards.&nbsp; Early on in the contest it was the Gus Rugaard show as the junior point guard was bombing in threes finishing the game with 16 points.(4-9 3 PT). Brooks Neuhoff is a point guard that hit a couple threes and showed grit off the bounce netting 10 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Liked what we saw from Plainfield South shooting guard Jermaine Theodore.&nbsp; The 2023 6'3” two guard has a rangy frame and was stellar in the mid-range recording 19 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Normal West Advances in Opener Against Rockford Boylan</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was a close game throughout in a fun first round matchup of two quality teams.&nbsp; Normal West took home the win 74-70.&nbsp; The junior backcourt was stellar for Normal West in this one.&nbsp; Class of 2024 point guard Gavin Camp hit threes from all over the floor while mixing in scoop shots shielding the ball from defenders and getting to the line en route to 22 points.&nbsp; Fellow junior 6'0” guard Nathaniel Moore is an off guard that can drain catch and shoot threes while using his handles to go coast to coast in transition as he had 29 points.&nbsp; Also intrigued long term with the ability of 2024 6'5” power forward CJ Wilson.&nbsp; Only scored 4 points, but grabbed 7 rebounds.&nbsp; Projectable four with a good frame that impacts in the paint on both ends.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rockford Boylan got off to a hot start behind the sharp shooting of 2024 5'11” point guard Ryan Starck.&nbsp; He was lights out from deep pouring in threes and ending the game with 17 points.&nbsp; Aedan Campos is a senior two guard that can help out a small college.&nbsp; Good size at 6'4” with sharp shooting capabilities as he nailed an array in this one for 14 points.&nbsp; The spark plug for Boylan was senior guard Darrell Johnson.&nbsp; Smaller guard has a nose for the basketball and is a pesky defender.&nbsp; Finished with 15 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hawkeyes Commits Show Out in Moline's First Game</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It wasn't expected to be close and it was not.&nbsp; Top seeded Moline put on a show in their first round matchup against Limestone winning 69-32.&nbsp; They were led in a major way by their stars and future Iowa Hawkeyes [player_tooltip player_id='989265' first='Owen' last='Freeman'] and [player_tooltip player_id='989274' first='Brock' last='Harding'].&nbsp; Freeman was an absolute force in all areas of the game.&nbsp; He threw down several powerful slams so much so that he had to help tilt the rim back up a couple times.&nbsp; Rim runner, lob threat, and is excellent out of the dunker spot.&nbsp; Defensively he was active getting steals and blocks.&nbsp; Also liked how well he passed it.&nbsp; Complete five man that will thrive in the Big 10.&nbsp; His final stat line read 20 points (10-12 FG), 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 3 steals in 3 quarters of action.&nbsp; His current and future teammate [player_tooltip player_id='989274' first='Brock' last='Harding'] is one of the best pure point guards in the state.&nbsp; The junior lead guard got out and running scoring over and over in transition as he is one of the top layup makers in the state.&nbsp; Also had a nasty left handed jam.&nbsp; His passing as always was crisp and on point.&nbsp; Active hands on the defensive end causing having.&nbsp; He finished with 21 points and 6 dimes.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lanphier Trio Rolls Past Lake Zurich</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two pretty balanced teams here made for a good contest to close out the top half of the bracket in the first round.&nbsp; Springfield Lanphier scored a win over Lake Zurich 66-62.&nbsp; Class of 2025 point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1385295' first='JaiQuan' last='Holman'] is a lead guard with deep range on his three ball.&nbsp; Got them going early with his shooting and quickness on drives scoring 20 points and 4 dimes.&nbsp; Really like the upside that fellow sophomore Shaunassey Hatchett presents.&nbsp; Bouncy small forward with a rangy frame.&nbsp; He plays above the rim on both ends.&nbsp; Quickness and explosive finisher offensively going for 17 points.&nbsp; Small college big man target [player_tooltip player_id='1537997' first='Austin' last='Robinson'] is a 2023 post with strength and toughness.&nbsp; Skill set allows him to score with good footwork from the mid-post in and make quick dishes for 14 points and 7 rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lake Zuirch was led by 2024 shooting guard Nick Popovic.&nbsp; Like what he brought to the table as a three level scorer.&nbsp; Shot it well from three and was slippery through traffic going for 17 points.&nbsp; Came away very intrigued with 2025 6'6” post Anton Strelnikov.&nbsp; Strong post with good footwork had a very nice spin move and was effective out of the dunker spot using touch in the paint.&nbsp; Went for 23 points (10-13 FG).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->