Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic: Monday Evening Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>PHI took in a full day of action at the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic on Thursday.&nbsp; Here is a look at the prospects and games from the last four contests of the day in <strong>Hinsdale Central: Thursday Evening Notebook</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Burlington Central Comes Back to Defeat Marian Catholic</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the majority of this game Marian Catholic was leading, but Burlington kept making it closer and closer.&nbsp; In the end they would get the lead in the final minutes and hold on to win 56-54.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2724243' first='Patrick' last='Shell'] was the standout player for them.&nbsp; The 6'3” well built two guard was powerful putting pressure on the rim with consistency throughout the game.&nbsp; Won on slashes for tough layups and floaters netting 24 points.&nbsp; Also cuts well to the basket off the ball.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2724420' first='Caden' last='West'] is a 5'9” point guard that left an impression on us as someone that should be on the small college radar.&nbsp; Crisp ball handler tht got to his spots for crafty conversions at the cup or mid-range pull ups.&nbsp; Zip on his passes too as he had 13 points.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2438957' first='Jacob' last='Johnson'] is a face up four with some strength who drained a pair of threes while scoring 9 points.&nbsp; LJ Kerr brought the athleticism on both ends as he is a UW-Oshkosh football commit.&nbsp; Went for 7 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2632037' first='Landon' last='Mays'] continues to produce throughout his sophomore campaign.&nbsp; The 6'5” small forward is a power wing that has a strong frame.&nbsp; He is a good shooter opening with a couple threes and later followed up with a sweet mid-range shot.&nbsp; Plays well in transition along with in bully ball situations as he had 15 points.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2723815' first='Delan' last='Davis'] is a 6'1” shooting guard that most certainly will see a boost in his stock mid-season.&nbsp; The two guard is a microwave scoring bucket getter that gets in the paint with two feet doing damage with layups, runners, or getting fouled.&nbsp; He notched 15 points as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hinsdale Central Depth Overwhelms Plainfield East</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hinsdale Central is just too deep as they had a ton of guys that contributed in their 65-35 win over Plainfield East.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2724195' first='Dillon' last='Orozco'] was the best among them in this game as he &nbsp;had 17 points.&nbsp; Lefty guard is a magician with the ha ball scoring in the lane flying past defenders in transition.&nbsp; Hit one three, but most of his damage was in the paint.&nbsp; Next to him in the backcourt Eric Kozys was a slick passer with creative handle, and mid-range game going for 8 points.&nbsp; South Dakota commit [player_tooltip player_id='2105166' first='Vincas' last='Buzelis'] is a big and athletic two way wing that crashed the glass and played physical scoring 6 points.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2724245' first='Michael' last='Howell'] really caught our attention as a 6'6” rim running big that has good body control around the hoop along with getting second chance buckets as he netted 9 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2387669' first='Josh' last='Stone'] is Plainfield East's top 2025 as the lefty combo guard is known as a shooter and that is what he showed in this one hitting a couple for 8 points.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2387603' first='Leslie' last='Pobee'] really impressed as a 6'4” undersized four that carves out space inside with his frame and finishes through contact.&nbsp; Big dunk and a hook shot as well for 13 points.&nbsp; Long term their most promising prospect is probably 2027 6'4” point guard KJ Miller. &nbsp;Thin and lanky frame with an excellent feel for the game at a young age.&nbsp; Plays with flair and did nail one pull up three.&nbsp; The scoring game is a work in progress, but there are tools to work with.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Niles North Senior Trio Makes It Look Easy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Next up was Niles North vs Morton.&nbsp; Niles North has a trio of seniors that have played together for years and this is their season!&nbsp; They left no doubt winning 77-46.&nbsp; Class of 2025 6'7” four man [player_tooltip player_id='2105191' first='Hunter' last='Gawron'] is a no doubt D2 post in my eyes.&nbsp; He has one of the best second jumps in the state getting on the offensive glass on the regular for a handful of put backs in this game alone.&nbsp; Plus athlete that can make quick post moves and runs the floor like a guard.&nbsp; Touch around the hoop on hook shots and plays through contact.&nbsp; High-motor defender blocking shots and rebounding in contested situations.&nbsp; Also has some stretch potential which he didn't show a ton of in this one.&nbsp; Went for 28 points.&nbsp; Exciting lefty point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1385296' first='Yaris' last='Irby'] is a floor general that can pass with flair, but is best utilized as a microwave scorer hitting threes in bunches and playing off his defense which he did in this one for 14 points.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2105209' first='Reid' last='Olson'] is a Purdue Northwest commit that started the game off getting his plethora of weapons involved with his pin point passing in both the half court and transition.&nbsp; Then he flipped the switch to scoring banging in three triples finishing with 11 points.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='1441432' first='Dylan' last='Lam'] provided sharp shooting and athleticism on the win notching 11 points.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2875759' first='Mustaf' last='Rexhepi'] was a presence inside on the glass scoring 6 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2439344' first='Chas' last='Ontiveros'] is a lanky 6'4” 2027 wing that caught our eye for Morton as their top prospect.&nbsp; Clean looking shot with projectability is a good combination at that stage.&nbsp; He had 8 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Schaumburg Inside/Outside Unsigned Senior Duo Led to Win over Morgan Park</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was one of the true 50/50 games in the first round of the Hinsdale tournament.&nbsp; It was also a game we were really looking forward to staying up late to evaluate.&nbsp; Schaumburg pretty much jumped out from the beginning and never looked back.&nbsp; They won by a final of 70-54.&nbsp; Their 6'8” 235 pound five man [player_tooltip player_id='1766477' first='Zion' last='Young'] was a man among boys down low!&nbsp; He is a wide body that is extremely nimble on his feet, has soft hands, and a high skill level.&nbsp; Now that he is in the best shape of his career his full game is coming along.&nbsp; He was calling for the ball giving his guards a big area to throw it.&nbsp; Carved out space on the interior for seals and spin moves.&nbsp; Good offensive rebounder and overall knows how to use his size to his advantage.&nbsp; Went for 17 points in the win.&nbsp; His running mate on the perimeter is [player_tooltip player_id='1598733' first='Jordan' last='Tunis'].&nbsp; The athletic combo guard at 5'11” is an athletic guard who puts a ton of pressure on the rim with his straight line takes and pushing in the transition game.&nbsp; He had 14 points.&nbsp; Class of 2026 6'0” angular guard Tony Horton had a good performance for Schaumburg with his relentlessness attacking the hoop and getting on the glass along with playing a strong game defensively.&nbsp; Aidan Patterson is a senior wing that was also very active on the interior having a nose for the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Morgan Park star [player_tooltip player_id='1552476' first='Nasir' last='Rankin'] had one of his lower scoring games of the year just scoring 9 points.&nbsp; The dual sport freak show athlete displayed that a few times in the open floor along with a swat which he outlet the other way for a dime.&nbsp; Also hit a deep three.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->