Riverside-Brookfield: Teddy’s Friday Takeaways (Part 2)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><br>Levine, Waltz Power York Past Loyola</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>York had quite the start against Loyola and got off to a 14-3 spurt. [player_tooltip player_id='1541232' first='AJ' last='Levine'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1750611' first='Kyle' last='Waltz'] were controlling the tempo early. Levine was making play after play for his teammates and knocked down a deep triple. Waltz found scoring chances from all three levels and converted a big-time dunk. Defensively, York seemed flawless. Almost everyone on the team made defensive plays, and the length exposed by [player_tooltip player_id='1750611' first='Kyle' last='Waltz'] and Max Burnison created nightmares on the glass. Burnison also showed some range with a three in the first half. Later in the game, Levine showed off his defensive abilities with several forced turnovers leading to easy transition points. His playmaking and ball-handling abilities were the focal point of York's offensive attack. Max Burnison even threw down another big-time dunk in transition. A late spurt from Loyola wasn't enough, as York held on for a comfortable win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>New Trier Has Retooled</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Trevians have retooled after a third-place finish this winter in 4A. 2025 Combo-Guard [player_tooltip player_id='1385306' first='Colby' last='Smith'] is the player to watch and showed three-level scoring capabilities early on. He hit two threes and had ten first-half points. He continued to show range in the second half 6'4" Guard Logan Feller also had a solid start to the contest. The 2024 SG showed plenty of promise attacking the hoop and had several inside scores early on. By the second half of 2024, [player_tooltip player_id='1375062' first='Ian' last='Brown'] was making it rain with a pair of threes in the corner to make it a double-digit contest. There are also two 2026 players I like. PG [player_tooltip player_id='1554516' first='Christopher' last='Kirkpatrick'] lit it up from deep with five three-pointers in the game. While big man Maks Depalo showed plenty of upside at 6'8" and should be the Trevian's big man to watch in the future. [player_tooltip player_id='1385306' first='Colby' last='Smith'] finished with 17 points. Logan Feller scored 15 and [player_tooltip player_id='1375062' first='Ian' last='Brown'] had 13.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>New Era at Simeon</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The post-Robert Smith era has begun for Simeon. A handful of new players, including [player_tooltip player_id='1157205' first='Dekwon' last='Brown'] and Andre Taylor, have transferred in. They got off to a hot start against Marist with several key contributors. [player_tooltip player_id='1750596' first='Rashad' last='McKinnie'] was everywhere early. He got on the floor for a loose ball and converted some difficult inside shots early on. Forward Ameer Morrow showed off a nice athletic build and had a big-time poster in the second half. He won almost everything down low with his physicality and toughness. [player_tooltip player_id='1157205' first='Dekwon' last='Brown'] finally made some plays in transition and got to the line to help push Simeon ahead. The [program_tooltip program_id='2076046' first='Wolverines' last=''] held on for a 42-39 win with Rashad McKennie scoring 11 pts. In their second game, they lost in OT to Romeoville.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Marist Has 2026's to Look Out For.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Marist revolved heavily on freshmen last season, and they're doing the same here. They had a slow start against Simeon but picked it up towards the end of the first half. 2026 PG Adoni Vasilakis shot the ball well and displayed smooth creativity to get to the hoop. He was the anchor to Marist's offensive attack against the [program_tooltip program_id='2076046' first='Wolverines' last='']. 6'8 F [player_tooltip player_id='1157205' first='Dekwon' last='Brown'] has so much potential with a long wingspan and the ability to shoot and defend from all over the floor. He was sensational in their second game against St Pats. His presence was really felt down low in that contest. He found lots of separation and converted several easy buckets down low. He even got up for several athletic finishes at the rim and hit a corner three in the second half.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Benet vs Mt. Carmel an Exciting Matchup</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I really love this matchup because both teams have plenty of promise and are pretty even on paper. [player_tooltip player_id='1385307' first='Cameron' last='Thomas'] opened the game for Mt Carmel with a pair of threes and made plays on the glass with some tough rebounds. [player_tooltip player_id='1285492' first='Lee' last='Marks'] is a versatile wing who got buckets from all three levels and showed off a smooth shooting stroke for seven quick points. After an injury in the state semifinal, leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id='1285516' first='Parker' last='Sulaver'] displayed sensational strength in the low block for a pair of buckets. But almost everyone was contributing and making plays for Benet. I was really intrigued by Gabe Sularksi. The 2026 Wing hit an outside shot early and converted on a tough drive to the hoop.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Benet held a 28-26 halftime lead, with [player_tooltip player_id='1598682' first='Daniel' last='Pauliukonis'] scoring 8 points to lead the Redwings. The second half was just as intense as Benet and Mt. Carmel continued exchanging leads. Sularski started drawing fouls and converting inside buckets, while Angelo Ciravino began to make plays both inside and out. He opened the second half with a three and snagged some tough rebounds. The biggest thing I noticed from him is his ability to create separation offensively, both with and without the ball. Towards the latter half of 2026, Point Guard [player_tooltip player_id='2105390' first='Jayden' last='Wright'] made a handful of key passes and took charge defensively. Down 3, Mt. Carmel's [player_tooltip player_id='1385307' first='Cameron' last='Thomas'] hit a shot, but his foot was on the line. After Benet made two free throws, [player_tooltip player_id='1373436' first='Angelo' last='Ciaravino'] banked home a three at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. [player_tooltip player_id='1598682' first='Daniel' last='Pauliukonis'] ended the game there with a three to give Benet the 63-60 win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->