Riverside-Brookfield: Teddy’s Sunday Notebook (Part 2)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Indrusaitis Big For St. Laurence in Battle of 2024's</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two of the top seniors in Illinois, [player_tooltip player_id='1157223' first='Nojus' last='Indrusaitis'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1285496' first='Jason' last='Jakstys'], squared off in this one. The Vikings had the strong start with [player_tooltip player_id='1157223' first='Nojus' last='Indrusaitis'], [player_tooltip player_id='1550741' first='Jacob' last='Rice'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1545122' first='Caleb' last='Lindsey'] each burying three's. But the player who stepped up the most was [player_tooltip player_id='1766461' first='EJ' last='Mosley']. The 2025 point guard seemed to always make the right decisions. Wether it was making the extra pass or taking the jumper, he was on his game. His best moment came late in the first half. After a steal on defense, Mosley set up [player_tooltip player_id='1157223' first='Nojus' last='Indrusaitis'] for an alley-oop finish over an opposing defender, getting the gym on their feet. [player_tooltip player_id='1550741' first='Jacob' last='Rice'] also started strong with a bucket through contact inside and a spot up three from the top of the key. He had nine points in the first half to help put St. Laurence up 24 at halftime. [player_tooltip player_id='1157223' first='Nojus' last='Indrusaitis'] ended up being the star of the show. He displayed plenty of explosiveness and took a high volume of shots throughout the game, many of which he made. St. Laurence won 67-55 behind 24 points from [player_tooltip player_id='1157223' first='Nojus' last='Indrusaitis'] and 13 from [player_tooltip player_id='1766461' first='EJ' last='Mosley']. For Yorkville, Jason Jasktys had a very strong second half by converting a handful of buckets on the interior with his sensational size and wingspan. Another thing I noticed was his passing abilities, which is something you don't normally see a big man do consistently well with. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Curie, H-F Have Impact Transfers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was a very intense, physical contest from the beginning with transfers from each team making a big impact. For Curie, 2024 wing Will Gonzales has transferred in after his first three years at Riverside-Brookfield. I saw a mix of playmaking and scoring abilities throughout the contest. One big aspect I noticed from him is his ability to shoot consistently, as he made the majority of three's he took. His long arms allowed him to show plenty of productivity on the defensive front too. Late in the game, he created some bug time buckets with transition passes and open spaces in the paint. On the other side, [player_tooltip player_id='1352590' first='Gianni' last='Cobb'] and Mac Hagemaster transferred to Homewood-Flossmor from different schools. Hagemaster was H-F's physical presence down low as he showed tremendous strength and resilience to grab difficult rebounds and box out successfully. He also showed a nice touch around the rim and scored a handful of points in the post. [player_tooltip player_id='1352590' first='Gianni' last='Cobb'] is a quick decision maker who showed excellent ball-control and playmaking abilities. He's also not afraid to shoot and knocked down a few jumpers in the contest. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jacob Blakely is an Outstanding Shot Creator</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jakob Blakely had a terrific week already before his matchup against Glenbrook North. The biggest thing I noticed from the 2024 Guard is his ability to create shots off the dribble. He opened the contest with a pair of midrange pull-up jumpers. Better yet, he had no problem knocking these shots down with defenders in his face. Later in the opening half, he showed confidence driving to the hoop and making plays to his teammates. He finished the game against GBN game with 23 points and never seemed to lose any sort of confidence with the ball in his hands. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Guard Duo at Glenbrook North Shines</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two Glenbrook North guards really intrigued me against Larkin. The first is [player_tooltip player_id='1583426' first='Owen' last='Giannoulias']. The 6'0” guard was excellent at creating space and had a massive second half. He hit a variety of jump shots and added a smooth floater to his game. He really took over midway through that second half and scored nine straight points for the Spartans. The other guard to watch is [player_tooltip player_id='1965004' first='Sam' last='Lappin']. He already had a big spring with All-In and put on a similar performance from what I saw last month. He buried a pair of threes in the opening half while also breaking past defenders for buckets at the hoop. Later on, he became more affective with his ball-handling and hit numerous difficult jumpshots. Both Lappin and Giannoulias scored 16 each in a win over Larkin.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Warren Beats Lincoln-Way East</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I ended a long weekend watching Warren play Lincoln-Way East. I was really excited to see 2027 Jaxon Davis play for Warren after dropping 21 points against Bloom right before. Warren had a sensational start to this contest with many contributors. Immanuel brown knocked down shots from all levels of the floor and had 12 points in he opening half. Another Warren product who showed out was 6'5” 2024 Forward [player_tooltip player_id='1874672' first='Alex' last='Daniels']. He's got decent size and consistently frustrated opponents defensively. But his offensive game was on point too. Scoring 20 points and hitting a variety of close and midrange shots. Jaxon Davis played really well too and stepped up with his passing. I saw him dish out 5-6 assists at the bare minimum in this contest. Warren took down Lincoln-Way East with no problems.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->