Notebook: Peoria Manual Shootout

This was a great slate of games at the Manual Shootout Saturday featuring four Division 1 level players and the action on the court did not disappoint! Here is a recap and some takeaways from Saturday's matchups.   Calvary Comeback Falls Short   In comparing the enrollment of these two schools- Danville (1,302) and Springfield Calvary (86), it's fair to say this was a David vs Goliath matchup of sorts. Danville controlled most of this game but Calvary sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1552407' first='Luke' last='Blackford'] imposed his will in the 2nd half and brought the Saints back within three points after a 26 point 3rd quarter deficit. Blackford finished with 36 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals- scoring from wherever he wanted including five 3's. The 6'4 wing has a mature game offensively and while he isn't a great vertical athlete he moves well and has a strong frame that allows him to battle on the boards. Stock is rising for Bradford, who will be making an appearance in the upcoming 2026 rankings update. Unsigned senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2318167' first='Connor' last='Brown'] also was key in keeping Calvary in this game, using his positional height at 6'4 to finish around the rim and get to the free throw line. He tallied 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals. Sophomore guard Joshua Long also hit some big shots for the Saints with 12 points on four 3's.   It was a balanced attack for Danville, who is loaded in the backcourt. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2724394' first='CL' last='Dye'] led all scorers for the Vikings with 16 points attacking the rim and shot a perfect 7/7 from the charity stripe. Senior guard Devan Larkin also scored 16 points with a majority of his looks finishing strong around the rim. Junior guard Jayvaughn ‘Diddy' Robinson had a well rounded game with 15 points 5 rebounds and surpassed 1,000 points for his high school career. Robinson is a great athlete that can score from all levels and crashes the boards hard. Another junior guard for Danville, Darius Jay also scored 11 points and a perfect 5/5 from the line.   Peoria High Holds Off Galesburg    It was a sleepy first half for Peoria High as Galesburg punched first. Star junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1766506' first='Leshawn' last='Stowers'] did not attempt a field goal in the first half and the Lions held just a one point lead at halftime. Stowers came to life in the second half, posting 15 points and 7 rebounds. Unsigned senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2318235' first='Rico' last='Jackson'] made some big plays and showed his elite ability as a facilitator. He finished with 14 points, 6 assists and 3 rebounds. Senior guard Diante Mann kept the Lions in the game in the first half offensively with 14 first half points and 16 total.    The surprise star of this game was sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='2334402' first='Jackson' last='Crock-Sibbing'] who was virtually unstoppable for Galesburg, scoring 29 points in total. Crock-Sibbing looked to score everytime the opportunity arose and scored seven 3's. Although he's not the biggest at 6'0 or a great athlete, Crock-Sibbing is fearless and has a deep bag on offense. Definitely a player to track moving forward. Junior guard Tyree Taylor has a relentless motor and good feel for the game putting him in the right spots often to make plays. He finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists for the Streaks. Senior wing Jace Keith also had a well rounded game for Galesburg with 8 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.   Tale of Two Halves for MacArthur/Richwoods   After a big start from Richwoods, MacArthur stuck around this game in the first half and led 32-30 at halftime. [player_tooltip player_id='1978576' first='Lathan' last='Sommerville'] and Richwoods shot making proved to be too much in the second half though as Richwoods dominated for a 90-74 win. As mentioned, [player_tooltip player_id='1978576' first='Lathan' last='Sommerville'] was an absolute monster in this game and even double and triple teams could not contain him. He posted an unconventional triple double with 26 points, 19 rebounds, 11 blocks and 6 assists total. When Sommerville is in go mode, look out. His combination of size, skill and energy is simply unmatched. The unsigned senior guards for Richwoods also showed out in this one. [player_tooltip player_id='1598683' first='Daquan' last='Little'] scored 20 points on five 3's made. Little continues to shoot the cover off the ball for the Knights. [player_tooltip player_id='1978599' first='Tavie' last='Smith'] was commanding on both sides of the ball finishing with 14 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 blocks. [player_tooltip player_id='2104980' first='Jared' last='Jackson'] was active all day and is another guy that puts  himself in great spots for advantageous opportunities around the rim. He had 13 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds. Three point assassin Nick Louderman also scored 12 points with four 3's made.   Decatur MacArthur ultimately fell short but is loaded with talent as well. In a day with huge sophomore performances, [player_tooltip player_id='2105414' first='Sean' last='Lee'] added to that with his line of 23 points and 8 rebounds. Lee battled physically with Sommerville throughout and found his buckets on offense. Lee is a physical wing who can score at all levels and provides a good amount of defensive versatility with his size and strong athletic frame. Unsigned senior guard Stevie Tatum got going in the second half and finished with 17 points 6 rebounds. He can score in bunches with his perimeter shooting ability. Fellow unsigned senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2318217' first='MJ' last='Murphy'] posted a double-double with 11 points and 13 assists. Murphy is a playmaking point guard with great burst and can finish around the rim. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2724226' first='King' last='Dees'] also provided needed scoring for MacArthur finishing with 16 points and 4 rebounds.   Metamora Hot Streak Continues    The Redbirds are red hot and have now won 18 of their last 19 games, the only loss in that span being vs powerhouse Thornton. That streak extended Saturday night vs Manual as Metamora controlled the game beginning to end. [player_tooltip player_id='1157231' first='Cooper' last='Koch'] with another polished offensive performance (23 points) scoring from all levels and active in the paint with 7 rebounds and 3 blocks. [player_tooltip player_id='1750712' first='Tyler' last='Mason'] was aggressive getting to the rim where he lived at the free throw line and finished with 17 points and 6 assists. Unsigned senior big man [player_tooltip player_id='1750597' first='Luke' last='Hopp'] continued to show his craftiness scoring around the basket and posting 14 points and 6 rebounds. [player_tooltip player_id='1545146' first='Matthew' last='Zobrist'] also had a great under the radar performance with 12 points and 7 assists, doing what the game told him.   It was an overall underwhelming outing for Manual, but still some positive takeaways for the Rams. Sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='2105417' first='Joshua' last='Humbles'] led them in scoring with 13 points 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Humbles is a stronger guard who looks to score from all levels and gets to the free throw line often. Star Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1576114' first='Dietrich' last='Richardson'] seemed to be dealing with an injury most of this game but still managed 7 points and 3 rebounds vs stifling Metamora defense that was focused on him. Senior guard London Tolliver had 9 points and junior guard DJ Finley also added 8.

This was a great slate of games at the Manual Shootout Saturday featuring four Division 1 level players and the action on the court did not disappoint! Here is a recap and some takeaways from Saturday's matchups.