Hinkle Holiday Classic: Saturday Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Started off our holiday tournament extravaganza coverage watching the Hinkle Holiday Classic at Jacobs High School on Saturday.&nbsp; In our notebook we dive into the games we caught on the first day of tournament action across the state in <strong>Hinkle Holiday Classic: Saturday Notebook</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top 30 Junior Gray Shines in Barrington Win</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the first game of the day we saw Barrington knock off Prairie Ridge by a final of 65-45.&nbsp; It was all about their star 2026 6'6” small forward [player_tooltip player_id='1845354' first='Oliver' last='Gray'] who dropped 32 points in the victory.&nbsp; Gray is a long and rangy wing that has physical upside.&nbsp; Solid athlete that has improved his all-around game.&nbsp; Known mostly as a sharp shooter he did show that off hitting some mid-range pull ups along with a pair of threes.&nbsp; Clean and consistent shooting stroke every time along with elevation off the floor.&nbsp; Passed it well off live dribbles finding his teammates throughout the contest.&nbsp; The athleticism popped off the bounce showing growth with his handles on a couple spin moves and sweeping layups.&nbsp; Capped it off with big dunk at the end.&nbsp; Legit mid-major prospect.&nbsp; Inside he got some help from 6'3” Bruce LeBlanc with his crafty scoring and toughness in the paint netting 8 points.&nbsp; Also 6'5” senior Gus Edstrom was a force on the glass with his rebounding.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1939406' first='Ben' last='Gablenz'] stood out as the primary prospect for Prairie Ridge.&nbsp; The 6'3” shooting guard drained a trio from beyond the arc in the win.&nbsp; Solid build and a nice soft touch finishing game with floaters.&nbsp; Also backed in for a turnaround J netting 22 points in the win.&nbsp; Should be on the small college radar.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jacobs Rolls Over South Elgin as Host in Opening Round</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jacobs cruised to a win over South Elgin 49-35.&nbsp; Point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2724375' first='Ben' last='Jurzak'] had a box in one on him in the first half.&nbsp; The high scoring guard got it going as the game went along as he can shoot it from distance and is crafty off the bounce.&nbsp; His running mate next to him is Emaan Thomas who brings physicality with his compact build at the point.&nbsp; Solid shooter hitting from both mid-range and three in the win.&nbsp; Inside it was 6'3” forward Samson Averehi who did a nice job clearing the glass consistently.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Long term the prospect for South Elgin who caught our attention was [player_tooltip player_id='2750030' first='Kyle' last='Mann'].&nbsp; The long and rangy forward is a sophomore that protects the rim with his length and has potential to develop his skill level.&nbsp; Lanky post should continue to grow.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bauer Imposes Will Inside for Cary Grove</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Next up was Cary Grove vs Johnsburg.&nbsp; The focus on this game was in the front court.&nbsp; Cary Grove scored a 56-42 win in major part due to 6'6” 2026 power forward [player_tooltip player_id='2482184' first='Adam' last='Bauer'].&nbsp; Tough and skilled four man finished strong in the paint getting on the glass for put backs, sweeping layups, short drives, corner three, and playing physical through contact for and-1s.&nbsp; Very effective as a rim runner.&nbsp; Definitely proved he should be in our mid-season rankings update as he had 23 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The most intriguing prospect for Johnsburg is 2027 big man Josh Kaunas.  Stretch big that can hit a three as a trail man, make quick cuts to get open for finishes inside, and is a solid rebounder.  Struggled defensively against the stronger Bauer.  He had 5 points and a handful of rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Waubonsie Valley Is Who We Thought They Were</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>First look at #3 in the overall PHI top 40 team rankings Waubonsie Valley this season and despite not playing the highest level of competition vs Elk Grove they showed out in an 84-32 victory to open the event.&nbsp; Illinois State commit [player_tooltip player_id='2326960' first='Tyreek' last='Coleman'] is a star at the high school level.&nbsp; The top 10 senior is on the short list of Player of the Year candidates because of his leadership and big time game.&nbsp; He showcased that in this win with his elite speed being blinding for Elk Grove.&nbsp; Straight line takes blowing past defenders for acrobatic and reverse layups.&nbsp; Pushes in the open floor with his speed, can hit an open three, and is a quality rebounder getting multiple put backs despite lack of ideal size.&nbsp; The quickness and anticipation on the defensive end really stands out.&nbsp; He had 17 playing less than half the game.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2326966' first='Moses' last='Wilson'] proved why he is among the top uncommitted prospects in the class.&nbsp; The long and lanky combo forward covers so much ground in the open floor going coast to cost, throwing down alley-oops, slick eurosteps, and gets on the offensive glass.&nbsp; Solid passer and high level defender.&nbsp; He had 8 points in limited minutes.&nbsp; Up next for this program is 2027 star [player_tooltip player_id='2125659' first='Kristopher' last='Mporokoso'].&nbsp; Strong and skilled wing that is crafty handling it off the bounce with creativity, finishing out of dunker spot, and can knock in an open three.&nbsp; Went for 9 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bartlett Starts Strong While Crystal Lake South Closes in Second Half</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bartlett opened up very well in this first round game looking to pull off an upset of one of the top seeds at the event in Crystal Lake South as they led 18-10 after the first period.&nbsp; It was all CSL after that as they would take the lead back by half and extend it in the last two quarters winning 55-40.&nbsp; They had an advantage on the front line in this game.&nbsp; We were impressed with senior stretch post [player_tooltip player_id='1598678' first='Cooper' last='Buelna'] who shot it well from three and on the baseline in the victory.&nbsp; Class of 2028 twins [player_tooltip player_id='2369867' first='Ryan' last='Morgan'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2369943' first='John' last='Morgan'] brought physicality up front where they got rebounds and finished in the paint.&nbsp; At the point [player_tooltip player_id='1433337' first='AJ' last='Demirov'] flashed with his speed in the open floor and magic getting to the cupfor scores.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2750020' first='Carson' last='Trivellini'] is a 6'2” sophomore two guard that put his name on our radar with a nice before as a scoring two guard that has some creativity off the dribble for nifty scores.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Bartlett especially in the first half it was the Taylor twins that made the biggest impression.&nbsp; Keegan Taylor is a 6'4” big man who was extremely active on the glass getting rebounds and even stretched a little with his shooting. Colin Taylor is more of a perimeter oriented forward that can handle it including one impressive split of a double team along with draining a three.&nbsp; They got a spark right off the bat from sophomore point guard Joseph Cwik.&nbsp; The 2027 lead guard had a steal that he took the other way for a score followed by a crisp mid-range jumper.&nbsp; Kid has some savvy to his game and is one to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->