5 Takeaways: Regional Final Doubleheader

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Friday night PHI took in a pair of regional finals.&nbsp; The first saw Moline win over Bradley Bourbonnais 52-51 on a free throw with a second to go.&nbsp; It was back and forth all night.&nbsp; The second game wasn't as close with Dekalb winning on their home floor against Rockford Auburn 70-59.&nbsp; Each contest featured a ton of ranked prospects!&nbsp; We dive into them here in <strong>5 Takeaways: Regional Final Doubleheader</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Battle of 2025 Big Men between Allen and Taylor Lives Up to Billing</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the first contest we were very much looking forward to evaluating the standout 2025 posts for each squad.&nbsp; That would be Bradley Bourbonnais' [player_tooltip player_id='1545117' first='Nick' last='Allen'] and Moline's [player_tooltip player_id='1545132' first='Treyvon' last='Taylor'].&nbsp; Each had their moments in this game with Taylor getting the last laugh as he got fouled on a drive with a second left.&nbsp; Followed that up by hitting 1-2 from the charity stripe to win.&nbsp; Taylor is a physically dominant post that plays with power on the interior.&nbsp; Finishes dump off passes, and-1s, and is a force on the offensive glass for second chance points.&nbsp; Snatches rebounds.&nbsp; He had 11 points.&nbsp; For Bradley Bourbonnais [player_tooltip player_id='1545117' first='Nick' last='Allen'] had his moments.&nbsp; Skilled true five man that plays with his back to the basket.&nbsp; Sealed for a score on the opening play of the game.&nbsp; That is something he does really well.&nbsp; Another aspect of his game that shined in this one was his passing.&nbsp; Got others involved all game long kicking to shooters with no hesitation for clean looks.&nbsp; Struggled a bit in the 3^rd quarter finishing, but got it going again late before finishing with 17 points.&nbsp; Rebounds well in his area and has a good second jump for how big he is.<br><br><strong>Moline Starters Shine Led by Freeman</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1545138' first='Braden' last='Freeman'] stepped up with a big performance on Friday night in Moline's win.&nbsp; The small forward brings toughness, athleticism, and scoring pop on the wing.&nbsp; Got buckets from all three levels with a three, mid-range pull&nbsp; up, along with taking it to the basket on multiple smooth takes finishing with either hand.&nbsp; Also crashed the offensive glass en route to 15 points.&nbsp; Marcus McQueen hit some big shots for Moline as the strong bodied senior drained a pair from deep and a couple key free throws for 8 points.&nbsp; Then the freshman duo did their part.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2455389' first='Arthur' last='Abbey'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2455383' first='Brady' last='Welch'] emerged late in the season.&nbsp; Abbey is a quick and shifty lead guard that is a dynamite defender and slick with the rock.&nbsp; Best play was a shot fake where he stepped in for a pull up two for 8 points in this game.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2455383' first='Brady' last='Welch'] is the other freshman to keep an eye on.&nbsp; He has in the gym range as he nailed one late from the volleyball line with no hesitation!&nbsp; Went for 6 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kohl's Shooting Keeps Bradley Bourbonnais in Game</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Outside of Allen it was Gavin Kohl and Ethan Kohl who helped carry the scoring load in this one scoring 6 points and 9 points respectively on threes.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='1285520' first='Anthony' last='Kemp'] is a rangy wing that scored on a couple crafty moves off the bounce for 8 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dekalb Inside/Outside Duo Too Much</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dekalb completely dominated the first quarter of their win over Rockford Auburn.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2105355' first='Davon' last='Grant'] is a 2026 that is a complete man child!&nbsp; Think a longer version of Roosevelt Jones from back in the day at O'Fallon.&nbsp; He is a wing that doesn't really shoot it, but is a dominant slasher and scorer in the paint.&nbsp; He had and-1s one after another.&nbsp; Complete force on the offensive glass grabbing them over and over again.&nbsp; Finished with power through defenders all night including a poster to cap off his 25 point outing.&nbsp; High level athlete that can rebound, defend, and score.&nbsp; If he does develop a jumper he has a chance to be one of the truly elite players in his class.&nbsp; Shoots it well from the line so it definitely might be in there.&nbsp; His running mate is [player_tooltip player_id='1545123' first='Sean' last='Reynolds'].&nbsp; The shooting guard from Dekalb is among the best pure three point marksmen in the state.&nbsp; He hit five of them in this game including a crazy one to end the 3^rd quarter.&nbsp; Mixes in creative takes as well.&nbsp; Finished with 14 points.&nbsp; Justin O'Neal inside brings them some length and activity as he scored 4 points.&nbsp; Couple wing shooters that could help this team in this tournament are Jackson Kess (8 points) and Eric Rosenow (9 points).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bright Future with Strong 2026 Class for Rockford Auburn</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite the loss Rockford Auburn has the majority of it's core coming back next season.&nbsp; The lone loss will be [player_tooltip player_id='1874864' first='Rakim' last='Chaney'] which is a big one.&nbsp; In his final high school game the athletic point guard showed what he can bring to a team at the next level with his athleticism slashing, hitting threes, and flying all over the floor for steals.&nbsp; He had 14 points.&nbsp; Their sophomore core of [player_tooltip player_id='1845353' first='Amir' last='Danforth'], [player_tooltip player_id='2105407' first='Champ' last='Parker'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2105424' first='Brian' last='Harper'] all have two years left.&nbsp; Danforth had his moments in this one.&nbsp; He is among the better wings in the 2026 class with his shot making from three (3 of them in this one) along with his slashing ability in both the half court and transition.&nbsp; Finished with 19 points.&nbsp; Parker is a good shooting point guard that brings athleticism and burst.&nbsp; Went for 8 points.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2105424' first='Brian' last='Harper'] is a rock solid lead guard that has a good passing feel, float game, and gets to the line netting 9 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->