Jack Tosh: Scotty B's Tuesday Notebook

The Jack Tosh Holiday Classic tipped off with it's unique 32 team field with two games going on at all times throughout the day!  This event has been a favorite of ours for years and might have it's best field as far as top tier prospects ever this year!  PHI took in the first day of the event.  Here is our Jack Tosh: Scotty B's Tuesday Notebook!   St. Laurence Wins OT Contest to Open Tosh vs Andrew   Andrew came into this contest with a 12-1 record and they played like it early jumping out to a 11-2 lead on St. Laurence Vikings early on behind the play of their stellar big man Grant Sakenis.  The 6'10” wide bodied five man was a beast down low scoring with consistency.  Good hands, feel, and touch around the basket.  He was dominant in the first half.  Finished the game with 27 points and 10 rebounds.  They also got big contributions late from Athan Berchos with his crisp shooting netting 15 points.   St. Laurence got it going with their perimeter threats after the first quarter.  [player_tooltip player_id='1545122' first='Caleb' last='Lindsey'] really ignited them as the long and rangy defender shot it extremely well from distance hitting four from beyond the arc for 12 points.  Then it was their star Denver commit [player_tooltip player_id='1157226' first='Josh' last='Pickett'] that asserted himself when it was needed scoring 17 points.  [player_tooltip player_id='1544818' first='Bradley' last='Stratton'] was lights out from deep knocking in four of them for 16 points.  [player_tooltip player_id='1766462' first='Zerrick' last='Johnson'] was a bit injured in this one, but the top 20 junior still managed to impact notching 9 points while his backcourt mate in the junior class [player_tooltip player_id='1766469' first='Khalil' last='Jones'] did the same stuffing the stat sheet for 9 points, 8 dimes, and 8 rebounds.   It was tight throughout and Andrew sent it to OT on a foul at the buzzer of regulation.  St. Laurence prevailed in the final session though winning 64-63 to advance to the winner's side.    Rolling Meadows Rolls in First Round Win Over Glenbard West   This one was all Rolling Meadows from the jump as they defeated Glenbard West in their first game of the event 57-35 as they moved to 10-1 on the season.  [player_tooltip player_id='1385299' first='Ian' last='Miletic'] was outstanding in the first half.  With the Christie brothers gone the top 15 2025 prospect can now show what he has as the top option on this team.  In the first half the southpaw with size was raining in three after three with four of them in the first half alone.  Like how he high-points rebounds, handles it well as a point-forward type with his passing feel, and shows some grit.  Finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds..  A new name that popped for us for Rolling Meadows was 6'5” small forward [player_tooltip player_id='2321417' first='Lazar' last='Lazarevic'].  Long and lean 2025 forward with a clean looking shot from both two and three along with some projectability.  Went for 13 points.  They got solid backcourt play as well with lefty combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='1545134' first='Jack' last='Duffer'] who had 13 points and Jaeden Warrener with 9 points.   Early in the game for Glenbard West we saw some stuff we liked out of 6'7” junior center Mike O'Connell.  Probably will be a football prospect at the next level, but the big bodied five rebounds well in his area and plays with strength.   Lyons Knocks Off St. Patrick in First Upset of Tournament   Lyons came into their first round game at 2-6, but this is a program that knows how to win and how to win in this tournament.  That is exactly what they did knocking off the higher seeded St. Patrick 62-61 to advance to the winners side of the bracket.  It was their dynamic inside/outside front court of seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1428908' first='Brady' last='Chambers'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1558357' first='Liam' last='Taylor'] that did the damage in this one.  Chambers is a five man that is extremely crafty around the hoop and can stretch the floor when needed which he did later in the game notching 18 points while racking up a ton of boards.  His running mate 6'8” four man [player_tooltip player_id='1558357' first='Liam' last='Taylor'] is a stretch four that can really shoot it!  Made spot up threes, but was also excellent on shot fakes where he got past his defender for precise pull up 2s.  He had 21 points.   St. Patrick's came out slow in this going getting down 10-0 and almost made it not matter.  They lived and died by the three in this one.  [player_tooltip player_id='1385287' first='EJ' last='Breland'] is their 2025 star.  He shot a bunch of triples and made seven of them including several from super deep.  The D1 prospect had 27 points in the loss on 9 of 17 from deep.  Keep an eye on [player_tooltip player_id='2104971' first='AJ' last='Thomas'] as he flies under the radar, but the senior combo guard has a great soft touch finishing game and is acrobatic in the paint finishing as he dropped 11 points while dishing off 4 assists.   Yorkville Continues Scores 1st Round Win vs St. Ignatius in High-Major Matchup   This was one of the more anticipated first round games of the event.  Yorkville is led by Illini commit and top 5 senior [player_tooltip player_id='1285496' first='Jason' last='Jakstys'] while St. Ignatius features the top junior in Illinois [player_tooltip player_id='1385292' first='Phoenix' last='Gill'].  Yorkville controlled the game throughout making it a low scoring contest in the first half before extending it to a 19 point lead heading into the fourth.  Despite St. Ignatius defense creating 9 Yorkville turnovers in a row they couldn't capitalize offensively as Yorkville won 48-38.   Jakstys showcased to casual fans who might not have seen him play what his game is all about in this one.  He has added strength on to his frame and the athleticism really jumps off the floor as he had a volleyball swat to set the tone early.  Offensively he was hook shots, tip dunks, short jumpers, and a three ball.  Also was outstanding passing and on the glass in a 14 point, 12 rebound, 3 block, and 4 assist outing.  The recipient of a lot of those passes was senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2049703' first='Bryce' last='Salek'] who cuts well without the ball and runs the floor hard in transition.   Gill struggled in this game.  Couldn't ever quite find a rhythm offensively as a scorer hitting a couple jumpers including a corner three and a snake dribble pull up.  He passed it pretty well especially early on in the game while scoring 10 points.  Small college senior gem [player_tooltip player_id='1285517' first='Reggie' last='Ray'] is a physical guard that hit a couple threes and attacked the rim for 14 points.   Bolingbrook's Depth Too Much for Nazareth   Once again Bolingbrook is loaded!  They lost a lot, but Coach Brost always reloads.  They knocked off Nazareth in their first round game 72-53.  We have been super impressed with the improvements made by 2025 big man [player_tooltip player_id='1385301' first='JT' last='Pettigrew'] who dominated the glass in this game while getting put backs and finishing in the paint for 13 points and 9 rebounds.  Class of 2027 shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='2323624' first='Davion' last='Thompson'] is one of the best freshmen in the state.  The lefty can score from anywhere on the floor with his creative handles and his shot making from three as he had 22 points including a flurry in the fourth.  The depth at the guard position is outstanding for Bolingbrook as they can continue to rotate quality college prospects on the floor in lead guard [player_tooltip player_id='1295497' first='Josh' last='Aniceto'] who sets others up and is a problem defensively.  Fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='1541243' first='DJ' last='Strong'] has the shake and burst off the bounce with elite defense on the ball.  Yet another senior guard KJ Cathey is a good defender, rebounder, and scorer in the paint.  Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1874876' first='Trey' last='Brost'] is a sound passer, good catch and shoot threat, and tough as nails as he had 13 points.   Nazareth has a few guys to track.  In the senior class [player_tooltip player_id='1541234' first='Talen' last='Pearson'] is a wing with size that has shot creating ability on the perimeter as he had 12 points.  Continue to be a fan of 2025 power forward [player_tooltip player_id='1598755' first='Matthew' last='Callahan'].  Face up four with skill plays well out of the mid-post shooting it, passing, and putting the ball on the deck as he had 16 points.   Metamora 2024 Trio Show Out vs Brooks Twins and Hansberry   This was the other highly anticipated first round matchup.  The defending 3A state champs in Metamora with Iowa commit [player_tooltip player_id='1157231' first='Cooper' last='Koch'] vs Hansberry led by their dynamic twins including star junior [player_tooltip player_id='1766460' first='Al' last='Brooks'] Jr.  It wasn't much of a game from a score standpoint from the jump as Metamora raced out to a big lead behind a massive first quarter from Koch and never looked back winning 84-53.   Koch was excellent in the first quarter showcasing his skillset for Chicago fans who might not have seen the state's #2 junior in action live.  Face up four that can stretch the floor with his shooting knocking in a pair of threes along with and array of soft finishes around the hoop scoring 17 of his 20 points in the first 8 minutes.  He didn't play in the 2nd and 4th quarters.  Fellow big man [player_tooltip player_id='1750597' first='Luke' last='Hopp'] is a D2 prospect in our eyes and he had a big game notching 24 points finishing everything around the rim with dunks, hook shots, and getting on the offensive glass.  Winona State commit [player_tooltip player_id='1750712' first='Tyler' last='Mason'] turned it up a notch in the third quarter reeling off quite a run getting steals and taking them the other way for 15 points.   [player_tooltip player_id='1766460' first='Al' last='Brooks'] Jr more than held his own against the defending state champs.  He had 23 points in the loss.  Early on he made a couple threes and then did his damage on short jumpers and finishes in the paint/offensive glass.  His brother [player_tooltip player_id='1766465' first='Ikee' last='Brooks'] continues to shine as a junior with his speed in the open floor recording 15 points.   Conant Pulls Off Second Big Upset of the Day   The talent would not say this was too big of an upset, but their records coming into this one would as Conant (5-6 coming in) knocked off Glenbard North (9-1 coming in) 61-47 in their first round matchup.  Conant controlled this one most of the game.  They were led by their senior five man [player_tooltip player_id='1978579' first='Camden' last='Lathos'].  Really like what he brings as a high level small college recruit that can shoot it from almost anywhere while playing with toughness on the boards.  Poured in an array of shots for 25 points.  At the point it was [player_tooltip player_id='1541242' first='Yusuf' last='Cisse'] who did the damage.  Maybe the smallest guy on the floor got rebound after rebound from his guard position.  Also was active defensively turning steals into points and hit some key threes in the second half netting 17 points.   Glenbard North got a solid outing from [player_tooltip player_id='1545137' first='Jalen' last='Crues'].  The strong bodied combo forward looks like an outside linebacker.  He plays with a high-motor where he got on the glass for put backs and finished above the rim for 14 points while grabbing 8 boards.  It was a slow start for Glenbard North 2024 star [player_tooltip player_id='1157222' first='JJ' last='Hernandez'] as he was stuck on 3 points for quite a while.  Later in the game he got it going with an and-1 spin move, three, and another dunk for 15 points.   York Does What York Does at Jack Tosh   The York Dukes always play well as the host team in this tournament.  Coming in at 9-2 they looked the part completely putting on a show against Hinsdale South winning 62-26.  The star was Penn commit [player_tooltip player_id='1541218' first='AJ' last='Levine'].  The point guard stuffed the stat sheet doing a little bit of everything in the win.  Excellent passing with crisp dimes to shooters and bigs.  Made threes, pull up twos, dunks, and was a force defensively getting steals while turning them into points on the other end.  Finished with 16 points.  York has much more than just Levine.  [player_tooltip player_id='1750705' first='Braden' last='Richardson'] is a power forward that rebounds well on the offensive end and knows how to garner deep post position to finish.  Went for 10 points.  Seals off his defender and has touch around the hoop.  [player_tooltip player_id='1750611' first='Kyle' last='Waltz'] is a senior wing that brings athleticism, size, and some shot making to the table as he had 8 points.  They also got a spark from Nick Dizonno with his shooting from the corners notching 13 points.   The lone bright spot for Hinsdale South was some glimpses from [player_tooltip player_id='2323275' first='Adam' last='Flowers'].  The 2026 6'1” shooting guard has some projectability showing a clean shooting stroke and several athletic conversions for 7 points.

The Jack Tosh Holiday Classic tipped off with it's unique 32 team field with two games going on at all times throughout the day! This event has been a favorite of ours for years and might have it's best field as far as top tier prospects ever this year! PHI took in the first day of the event. Here is our Jack Tosh: Scotty B's Tuesday Notebook!