State Finals: 1A and 2A Thursday Notebook

Thursday kicked off the first day of the state finals in Champaign.  Prep Hoops Illinois has you covered with everything you need to know from the day!  We dive into the prospects in our State Finals: 1A and 2A Thursday Notebook!   1A   Mounds Meridian Wins Game of Runs Over Hope Academy   This contest went back and forth throughout the game.  Hope Academy came back late in the final minutes to tie it up and then it was all Mounds Meridian after that winning 68-60.   Mounds Meridian got a big game from 6'3” freshman Antonio Flenoid Jr.  Thick bodied and well developed combo forward that plays super hard.  He is physical around the hoop getting on the offensive glass and scoring in the paint.  Made big plays in the second half finishing with 24 points and 12 rebounds.  Sophomore point guard Javionne Ranson came up clutch in the final minutes with a pair of big plays including a steal and score along with an and-1 to give his team the margin they needed to win while he scored 8 points.  Jai'Deon Reed was huge in this one off the bench for Meridian as the lefty undersized post is scrappy in the paint and active on the glass.  Notched 17 points with his relentless nature.  Got some perimeter shot making and tough scoring inside from wings Will Thurston (11 points) and Cole Kaufman (6 points).   For Hope Academy their star Tyjuan Hunter did his part.  The 5'5” sophomore guard got off to a bit of a slow start, but then started bombing in NBA range threes.  High level shot maker that hit three from distance along with using his speed in transition for 17 points.  Josh Dillon made some key threes in the comeback attempt while notching 12 points.  Sophomore Jaiden Simmons only scored 5 points, but is an intriguing prospect with his size at 6'3” on the wing with plus athleticism being able to impact on both ends of the floor.   West Central Edges Aurora Christian in 2 OT Contest which Saw Pair of Epic Performances   This game was close throughout.  It was all the way until the end as the second 1A semi final went to double overtime where West Central just made a couple more plays to win 70-65 against Aurora Christian.   It was [player_tooltip player_id='2374533' first='Chance' last='Little'] who had the game of his life on the biggest stage in Champaign.  West Central's second leading scorer on the season picked it up when his running mate was struggling early carrying them in this one with 33 points and 7 rebounds.  He is a skilled ball handler that finished in the lane with nifty footwork and touch over and over again.  Also got to the line a ton in the victory.  Star senior [player_tooltip player_id='2374495' first='Zack' last='Evans'] is a well built two guard with plus athleticism.  He couldn't find the magic until the second half and overtimes where he got it flowing.  Baseline take really opened things up for him along with a corner three as he finished with 17 points.  Guard Mason Berry made some key plays as well in this one on several nice takes for 11 points.   It was the [player_tooltip player_id='1552428' first='Marshawn' last='Cocroft'] show for Aurora Christian.  The 5'11” point guard was the best player on the floor.  He scored off the bounce using his speed to get downhill in the half court blowing past defenders along with coast to coast takes.  Hit an array of threes and rebounded very well for his size in a 36 point outing.  Jalen Carter backed him up with 13 points while Asa Johnson also helped with 12 points of his own.   2A   Phillips Has Too Much Fire Power Wins over Scrappy Williamsville Squad   It was yet another close contest here as it looked like Phillips was going to pull away late, but Williamsville stormed back with a 10-0 run to get within a bucket.  They couldn't get the foul late as [player_tooltip player_id='2323290' first='Claude' last='Mpouma'] threw the TD pass down the court to [player_tooltip player_id='2321396' first='EJ' last='Horton'] for a slam to close out the win 60-56.   That connection went the other way in the first half on quite a few plays as 2025 point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2321396' first='EJ' last='Horton'] was slicing up the defense with his passing in the teeth of the opponent including finding sophomore 6'6” post [player_tooltip player_id='2323290' first='Claude' last='Mpouma'] for several finishes.  The wide bodied and long armed five has great hands and did damage in the paint going for 12 points in the victory.  Horton continued to spread the wealth including to junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2217980' first='Phoenix' last='Childs'] who had a big game.  The 6'4” wing has an angular build and impacted on both ends.  Finished with athleticism around the cup and hit a pair of threes for 21 points.  Then it was Horton himself that took over scoring for a stretch.  The athletic and dynamic lead guard hit a corner three, transition dunk, and got an and-1 on a baseline jumper.  Slick ball handler that gets to his spots and is already a top 25 player with the arrow going up!  He had 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 dimes.  His running mate in their junior backcourt [player_tooltip player_id='1385290' first='Amari' last='Edwards'] had 9 points including a big three in the second half.   Williamsville was led by 5'11” junior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2375621' first='Brayden' last='Saling'].  The lefty guard has deep range on his three including stepping behind a screen to hit one from NBA range in the fourth.  Crafty soft touch finishing game as well with an array of scoop shots on his way to 21 points.   Carson Kohler was a presence inside for Williamsville as he hit the offensive glass for second chance points and scored out of the post netting 14 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.  Brecken Thomas also chipped in 11 points.   Tedeschi and Billington Lead Way as Benton Tops Byron   The final game matched up two of the premier 2A squads in the state all year long in Benton vs Byron.  It was another game that was within a few possessions throughout the entire contest.  Benton led most of the way and came away with the 50-42 victory.   It was their 1-2 punch that carried the day.  [player_tooltip player_id='1545126' first='Docker' last='Tedeschi'] showed us what we have seen for the last two years with the [program_tooltip program_id='2075532' first='Illinois' last='Bears'] on the circuit.  He is a skilled face up four that can hit shots from distance along with use his skill down low to do damage.  Also was impactful on the defensive end with his rim protecting in this game along with high-pointing rebounds going for 14 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 6 blocks.  His running mate [player_tooltip player_id='1970913' first='Isaac' last='Billington'] has had a fantastic senior campaign which continued on Thursday night.  Tough minded two guard that can score effectively from all three levels.  When his team needed a bucket he got it for them!  The small college gem had 18 points.  Evan Munoz provided some help with his perimeter shot making racking up 12 points in the win.   Byron got a really good game out of Carson Buser.  The 2024 guard scored well above his season averages notching 16 points consistently decking it and scoring in the lane through defenders.  [player_tooltip player_id='2374521' first='Ryan' last='Tucker'] is one of the best players in Byron history.  In this game he managed 10 points showing decent pop off the bounce and hit a three on a tough night shooting.

Thursday kicked off the first day of the state finals in Champaign. Prep Hoops Illinois has you covered with everything you need to know from the day! We dive into the prospects in our State Finals: 1A and 2A Thursday Notebook!