Kevin Brown TOC: Tuesday Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tuesday I checked out action from the Kevin Brown TOC in Washington, Illinois.&nbsp; We saw three games with five teams from Illinois and one from Wisconsin.&nbsp; Here is our recap in <strong>Kevin Brown TOC Tuesday Notebook</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Wyoming Commit Gores Leads Cumberland (WI) in Battle of Bigs</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first game of the TOC featured a pair of senior big men going at it.&nbsp; After a fast start from Piasa Southwestern it was all Cumberland out of Wisconsin as they rolled to win 68-46.&nbsp; They are led by Wyoming commit [player_tooltip player_id='1853648' first='Gavin' last='Gores'] who showed why he is a legit mid-major plus talent.&nbsp; Bouncy athlete that threw down several powerful dunks off the bounce.&nbsp; Even had a teammate throw one off the glass to end it.&nbsp; His quickness on the offensive glass was also a major strength as he rebounded at a very high level including scoring on second chance points.&nbsp; Good feel scoring around the hoop sealing off his man.&nbsp; Floor stretching threat with a good looking stroke from three.&nbsp; Can protect the rim and is a two way player on the boards finishing with 29 points and 15 rebounds.&nbsp; He also got help in the first half from senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2627948' first='Chayden' last='Berghammer'] who is a shifty scorer that can get in the lane for soft touch finishes along with hitting threes as he had 14 points.&nbsp; Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2450023' first='Parker' last='Peterson'] caught fire from distance in the second half draining in three after three going for 20 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2723848' first='Ian' last='Brantley'] is a 6'7” post that we got to see for the first time.&nbsp; The senior big man is a sleeper with his shooting from three hitting multiple in this game along with being a decent athlete.&nbsp; Finishes around the hoop and rebounds in area as he had 15 points and 7 rebounds.&nbsp; Cason Robinson is a 2027 guard to monitor as he can really shoot the ball hitting three of them for 11 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bradley Commit Zobrist Takes Over Leading Metamora in Win</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Next up we had a contest between a pair of squads it is not out of the question we could see each in Champaign come March as Metamora took on Dekalb.&nbsp; Early on Dekalb got out fast, but Metamora took control late in the first quarter and despite Dekalb getting within a possession in the fourth they led the rest of the way winning 51-41.&nbsp; Bradley commit [player_tooltip player_id='1545146' first='Matthew' last='Zobrist'] is a player of the year candidate coming in to the season.&nbsp; Started off slow as he missed a few jumpers, but then he drained back to back step back threes and it was on!&nbsp; He went on to hit four triples in the game along with using crafty moves off the bounce to score.&nbsp; At his size he can really handle it playing on the ball quite a bit while also making excellent reads as a passer.&nbsp; Finished with 21 points.&nbsp; Transfer [player_tooltip player_id='1576619' first='Jonah' last='Funk'] was very impactful in his first outing with Metamora.&nbsp; The South Dakota commit had 7 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks.&nbsp; It was his quickness on the glass high pointing boards along with protecting the rim that made him so valuable.&nbsp; Flashed as a scorer with a spin move for a hook shot and an and-1 late.&nbsp; Senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2321401' first='Ashton' last='Grieves'] was effective on both sides of the ball.&nbsp; He ran the show with nice passing, hit a pair of threes, and made Dekalb's star work for everything on the defensive end.&nbsp; He had 6 points.&nbsp; First look at 2028 6'5” small forward [player_tooltip player_id='2751060' first='Brady' last='Jones'].&nbsp; Well built wing that cuts very well off the ball having three buckets in that fashion along with hitting a corner three.&nbsp; Also decked it switching hands in the air.&nbsp; Finished with 12 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Dekalb their elite two sport athlete [player_tooltip player_id='2105355' first='Davon' last='Grant'] was a crowd pleaser with four massive dunks.&nbsp; The state's #3 football prospect in 2026 is also a quality hooper.&nbsp; He cut passing lanes for slams, finished lobs, and won off the bounce on the wing.&nbsp; Active rebounder as well.&nbsp; Looked more comfortable shooting it from three including hitting one from the top of the key in a 14 point and 7 rebound outing.&nbsp; Their star D'Youville commit [player_tooltip player_id='1545123' first='Sean' last='Reynolds'] couldn't find the touch from distance in the first half, but got it going in the second draining a pair of pull ups in the mid-range along with a three off an out of bounds play.&nbsp; Mixed in a couple floaters for 13 points.&nbsp; Marquise Bolden provided a spark for them as the small and quick guard was active with his hands on defense while knocking in a couple threes for 10 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Porter Takes Over Game in Romeoville Win over Host Washington</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The last game of the night was an overtime classic with host school Washington taking on Romeoville.  Both teams had runs throughout the game and it went to OT where Romeoville edge past Washington 73-71.  It was all about Damion Porter as the 6'3” senior absolutely took over the game in the second half.  He is a big bodied and physical wing that can play on the ball as well.  Early on he missed some bunnies, but Coach Marc Howard did a nice job getting him a couple clean looks on out of bounds plays and a take from the mid-post.  The hoop looked like the ocean after that as he was relentless going downhill for and-1s one after another.  Mixed physicality with handle and body control on takes.  Hit a nice pull up two off a ball screen along with a big step back three late.  Rebounded at a high level throughout the game along with showing improved passing feel.  Went for 35 points and 11 rebounds.  The unsigned senior looked like he deserves a bump in our mid-season update after the way he played.  [player_tooltip player_id='2617350' first='AJ' last='Ivy'] is a 2026 that stepped up as well with his shooting especially in the first half keeping his team in the game netting 12 points.  Liked what we saw from [player_tooltip player_id='2393230' first='Danny' last='Thompson'] as the angular 6'2” senior lead guard was slick with the ball off the bounce finishing in the paint along with hitting pull ups.  Nice passer as well.  He had 13 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Washington got a breakout performance from 2026 6'5” small forward [player_tooltip player_id='2218169' first='James' last='Johnson'].  Strong and powerful wing that has a clean looking shot connecting on three from distance.  Also rebounded at a high-rate for 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists.  Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2452451' first='Andre' last='Lewis'] is a southpaw that has the ball on a string getting in the paint for acrobatic finishes as he went for 14 points.  Will Martin was a big part of the game for Washington before fouling out as he bombed in four triples for 14 points.  Their senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2321442' first='CJ' last='Duncan'] didn't score much from the field, but was excellent at getting to the foul line racking up 13 points while also being a connector on the perimeter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->