Sectional Semis: Scotty B’s Tuesday Notebook
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Tuesday night I was able to check out three full games of Sectional Semi Final action. They were Bolingbrook vs Benet, Whitney Young vs Curie, and Glenbrook North vs Glenbrook South. We look at the prospects that shined here in…
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Continue ReadingTuesday night I was able to check out three full games of Sectional Semi Final action. They were Bolingbrook vs Benet, Whitney Young vs Curie, and Glenbrook North vs Glenbrook South. We look at the prospects that shined here in Sectional Semis: Scotty B’s Tuesday Notebook!
Bolingbrook Balance Too Much for Benet
This was the one we had circled on Tuesday night. The top sophomore in the state in Gabriel Sularski Gabriel Sularski 6'6" | SF Lemont | 2026 State IL in Benet vs one of the elite freshman in Davion Thompson Davion Thompson 6'2" | SG Bolingbrook | 2027 IL of Bolingbrook. Early on it was about the three ball as one team was hitting them and the other wasn’t. Bolingbrook hit three early ones and besides Sularski Benet was not hitting theirs from beyond the arc. That gave Bolingbrook a comfortable lead at the half. They were never really in any danger in the second half although the margin did shrink to a winning spread of 65-59.
North Park commit DJ Strong DJ Strong 5'9" | PG Bolingbrook | 2024 State IL led the way in this one with 15 points for Bolingbrook. The southpaw is known as an ace defender, but he can be a spark on the offensive end especially with his shot making which he was in this game hitting three from deep. Freshman phenom Davion Thompson Davion Thompson 6'2" | SG Bolingbrook | 2027 IL was special as always. Hit a couple threes including one off a ball screen that was just perfect. Most spectacular play was a coast to coast take for an and-1. Also got to the line in a 16 point outing. High-major all the way! JT Pettigrew JT Pettigrew 6'8" | C Bolingbrook | 2025 State IL is a junior that continues to get better each time we see him. In this one he had 15 points and 7 rebounds. Mobile and athletic post that has hook shots and consistently garnered deep post position often getting foul calls. Several and-1s in this game and rebounded in his area. Two other starters also played well with sophomore Trey Brost Trey Brost 5'10" | PG Bolingbrook | 2026 State IL notching 9 points and 6 dimes while tough as nails senior KJ Cathey had 10 points.
Sularski was the show for Benet. He was really the only one that could get it going. The lefty has tremendous size on the perimeter along with plus shot making ability draining in a handful of them in this one. Smooth ball hanlder that took one steal coast to coast for a conversion. Slick getting to the rim and loves the euro step off the bounce. He had 25 points. Senior guard Patrick Walsh Patrick Walsh 6'1" | PG Benet | 2024 State IL should find a nice home at the small college level with his toughness and shooting. Sophomore combo guard Jayden Wright Jayden Wright 5'11" | PG Benet | 2026 State IL is one to watch. Showed in this one he is more than just a shooter with a few nice moves off the dribble along with quality passing. He had 8 points.
Curie Opens CPS Blue Blood Tournament at RB with Win Over Whitney Young
The Riverside Brookfield Sectional looks like a who’s who of Chicago Public League powers. The first matchup was between two of the best programs in the state Curie and Whitney Young. I remember seeing this game 11 years ago at the same stage when Cliff Alexander and Jahlil Okafor were juniors. Not quite that level of talent on the floor, but still a ton of big time prospects in the state. Whitney Young probably outplayed top ranked Curie in the first half. A put back on a shot at the buzzer by Carlos Harris Carlos Harris 6'1" | SG Curie | 2024 State #283 Nation IL gave Curie a 30-29 lead. They would slowly expand on it all second half never trailing winning 61-49.
UIC commit Carlos Harris Carlos Harris 6'1" | SG Curie | 2024 State #283 Nation IL had to change jerseys after a bit of a slow start from his usual #2 to #10. It was like he put his Superman cape on as he was unstoppable! The senior took over the game with his toughness scoring on physical drives, hitting mid-range jumpers, getting on the glass, passing it, and blowing up plays defensively. Went for 18 points showing why he is a 1st team All-State guy regardless of class. Inside senior Taevion Collier Taevion Collier 6'6" | PF Curie | 2024 State IL had an excellent game. Rebounded, protected the rim, and finished everything he got his mitts on. Had a really nice baseline spin on the block on his way to 10 points. Will Gonzalez Will Gonzalez 6'5" | SF Curie | 2024 State IL is a long and rangy point-forward who showed off his elite passing feel for much of this game before getting his own late. Projectable wing that can defend, pass, and is a much improved shooter. Low-majors should be on this unsigned senior. He had 12 points playing on his old home floor at RB. Mason Minor Mason Minor 6'0" | SG Curie | 2024 State IL chipped in with 7 while a prospect we didn’t know much about Brad Johnson Jr gave them a spark with 8 points.
Antonio Munoz Antonio Munoz 6'6" | SF Whitney Young | 2025 State #194 Nation IL was the best player on the floor for Whitney Young in this game. The top 5 senior showed why with his elite athleticism around the hoop rebounding at a high level all game. Used his quickness and athleticism to score in the paint including a couple of massive dunks one on an alley-oop and another in transition. Good momentum carrying into a big spring for him as he had 20 points. The young core each had solid games for the Dolphins. Class of 2026 point guard Rykan Woo Rykan Woo 6'1" | PG Whitney Young | 2026 State IL hit a three from the corner which is his spot! Also a sweeping layup, got to the line, and was a solid passer moving the ball finishing with 7 points. Saw flashes from Nasir Rankin Nasir Rankin 6'2" | SG Whitney Young | 2026 State IL with his athleticism and strength along with ultra smooth lead guard Marquis Clark Marquis Clark 6'2" | PG Whitney Young | 2026 State IL who each had 5 points.
Glenbrook North Senior Guard Trio Lead to Victory Over Rival
The final game of the night we took in was Glenbrook North vs Glenbrook South. This tip was delayed quite a bit because of a tornado warning in the area pushing the start back. Glenbrook North jumped out in the first half behind their senior guard trio. Glenbrook South pushed back with big man Nick Taylor Nick Taylor 6'6" | PF Glenbrook South | 2024 State IL getting things done inside getting them within a couple buckets in the second half. Glenbrook North pulled away late however winning 51-40.
Josh Fridman Josh Fridman 5'10" | PG Glenbrook North | 2024 State IL makes a ton of difference for this GBN squad. The Illinois Wesleyan commit brings a swagger and confidence to this team. He is a crisp passer that makes sound reads, has crisp handles, and drained a pair of threes for 10 points. Owen Giannoulias Owen Giannoulias 6'0" | PG Glenbrook North | 2024 State IL also had a big game for Glenbrook North. The 2024 two guard is a crafty scorer around the rim that brings toughness and the ability to finish through and around contact. Also hit a mid-range jumper and three netting 20 points. Combo guard Sam Lappin Sam Lappin 5'10" | PG Glenbrook North | 2024 State IL is a big time shooter that can really rip the nets from distance. He connected on several along with some stellar stop and pop mid-range shots for 14 points. Northwestern football commit Pat Schaller Pat Schaller 6'6" | SF Glenbrook North | 2024 State IL brought the toughness inside while finishing a couple buckets for 4 points.
Glenbrook South was led by their Winona State commit Nick Taylor Nick Taylor 6'6" | PF Glenbrook South | 2024 State IL in his final high school game. The power forward had 13 points. Couple sweeping layups early on. In the third quarter he went to work down low scoring with toughness and getting on the offensive glass. Going to be a really good D2 player. Nate Kasher Nate Kasher 6'0" | PG Glenbrook South | 2024 State IL is a 2024 that brings a lot of grit and scoring to the table at the point. He hit a corner three along with getting in the lane for an array of acrobatic finishes. JP Hubbard JP Hubbard 6'1" | SG Glenbrook South | 2024 State IL also notched 8 points in the GBS backcourt.