Jack Tosh: Thursday Afternoon Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's some of my top standouts from Thursday afternoon's action at the Jack Tosh holiday classic. Apologies for the late post.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tony Balanganay - Palatine</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2026 football recruit was a huge difference maker against Downers Grove South today. Finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. But none as big as his last-second heroics. Winning a second-chance opportunity on the inside for a last-second layup to win 36-35. His huge, physical frame makes it challenging for opponents to guard him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1576619' first='Jonah' last='Funk']</strong> <strong>- Metamora</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Funk had a massive game on the interior this afternoon. Seemed almost unstoppable at times with his lengthy frame. Finished with 23 points in a very tight game with Wheaton North. Had a ferocious dunk in the 4th quarter with the game close. Another hook shot gave them a lead with a minute left. Dunk </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Henry Schlickman - Wheaton North</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Monster game from Schlickman. Hit clutch shots all over the floor in an exciting matchup vs Metamora, the defending Jack Tosh champs. Contested 3-pointer in the games final minutes tied things up. Never seem fazed by his matchup and showed an ability to score over any kind of player. Very deep 3-pointer in OT. Outside of that, Schlicken showed nice passing abilities with an ability to break off double teams when needed. Including an assist to force a 2nd OT. Ended with 26 points in a tight loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2321464' first='Danny' last='Wrzesinski'] - Nazareth</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A clutch game for the 2025 big man from Naz. Converted a key and-one in the fourth quarter to put Nazareth in front for good. Love the length he displays in addition to his footwork on the low block. Nazareth gets a big upset win over Glenbard West in overtime. Scoring 19 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1385301' first='JT' last='Pettigrew'] - Bolingbrook</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pettrigrew was just a fraction of what Bolingbrook did against Hinsdale South. But probably the most eye-opening. Coming up with big defensive stops on the inside. At least two blocks down low. On offense, he showed great speed in transition to slam home an alley-oop off the backboard in the 2nd quarter. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gabriel Sularksi - Lemont</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I saw a ton from Sularski to put him on this list. Very efficient shooter and found the bucket from all three levels. Playmaking ability was just as good. Even showcasing a no-look assist midway through the game. It seems like he fits right into this Lemont scheme since his transfer from Benet.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->