CPS Final Four: Top Performers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The CPS Final 4 was Thursday Night at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago's West Loop neighborhood. This year's games featured four teams all from the Red South/Central division. In this article, I recap on the top players from the two games which saw Curie defeat Simeon followed by a Kenwood win against Phillips.&nbsp; We look at the prospects in <strong>CPS Final Four: Top Performers</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1157209' first='Will' last='Gonzalez'] - Curie 2024</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What a game by Gonzalez. He was perfect from three and the free-throw line. He didn't seem to be bothered by the atmosphere and moment as he shot the ball with tremendous confidence. Will is one of the top unsigned seniors in the state and last night's performance was a reminder to schools of how good he is. He finished with 17 points in the win.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1157211' first='Carlos' last='Harris'] - Curie 2024 - UIC</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Carlos got into foul trouble but was good enough to get to the line several times while scoring in transition. Harris's aggressive defense helped force Simeon into many turnovers to help seal the victory for the Condors.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1285487' first='Calvin' last='Robins Jr'] - Kenwood 2024</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Calvin had his best game as a high school player against Phillips. Strong 25 point and 10 rebound performance. He worked the high-low very well scoring around the rim with solid two-hand finishes. Robins was the matchup problem the Wildcats didn't prepare for. He had smaller defenders on him all game and he made them pay. Calvin is another senior who's unsigned.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1284852' first='Chris' last='Riddle'] - Kenwood 2024 - DePaul</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chris was the energy the Broncos needed down the stretch to get the win over Phillips. After sitting most of the third quarter Riddle came in making two three-pointers and had the last dunk of the game to put the cherry on top. Expect to see him play a big role in Saturday's game if the Broncos look to upset the Condors.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2321396' first='EJ' last='Horton'] - Phillips 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Horton walked away becoming a household name after his performance against Kenwood. The Phillips guard started a little shaky but got situated by the second quarter. EJ showed his ability to score from all three levels against the much taller Broncos lineup. He connected on two threes and spent most of the game getting to the left side finishing tough layups. Horton dropped 19 points and 7 rebounds in the loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1385290' first='Amari' last='Edwards']- Phillips 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Amari is another player who played well once he got the jitters out. He's a smaller guard who gets to his spots on the court with a strong handle on the ball and an above average knowledge of the game. Edwards made the big shots for the Wildcats when they needed them the most, cutting a double-digit lead down to one possession several times. Amari finished with 18 points hitting two threes in the game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>Notables&nbsp;</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1750596' first='RJ' last='McKinnie'] - Simeon 2024 </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tough game for McKinnie as he scored 11 points with 8 rebounds. Did a solid job defensively but didn't get much support from his teammates. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1385283' first='Aleks' last='Alston']- Kenwood 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Alston was very close to a triple-double last night as he grabbed 16 rebounds dished 10 assists and scored 9 points. Aleks is starting to open up other parts of his game when he's not making shots on the perimeter.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2125612' first='Devin' last='Cleveland']- Kenwood 2027</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Devin hit two big shots in the midst of Phillips' runs. The young guard proved he was not afraid of the moment. Scored 9 points in the win.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->