Team Rose Shootout: Saturday Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saturday was a marathon of games at [program_tooltip program_id='2078408' first='Team' last='Rose'] Shootout at Mt. Carmel High School.&nbsp; The 8 games started at 10:00 AM and went late into the night.&nbsp; Here is our recap of the first day in <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='2078408' first='Team' last='Rose'] Shootout: Saturday Notebook</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Evanston's Depth Too Much for Riverside Brookfield</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first game kicked off with a pair of programs who are staples of this event as Evanston went up against Riverside Brookfield.&nbsp; Two tradition rich programs with great coaching.&nbsp; This contest was dominated by Evanston as they won 77-43.&nbsp; We really liked what we saw out of Evanston point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2105284' first='Kaidan' last='Chatham'].&nbsp; Built like a running back he is strong and sturdy with the rock in his hands.&nbsp; Slick handles scoring in transition, hit a three, and found his teammates in a 14 point outing.&nbsp; The Rocca brothers were excellent!&nbsp; Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2321433' first='Theo' last='Rocca'] was feeling it from three draining five of them in the contest on his way to 20 points.&nbsp; His younger brother [player_tooltip player_id='2540157' first='Vito' last='Rocca'] notched 11 points showing a more diverse scoring game with good athleticism.&nbsp; Off the bench sleeper [player_tooltip player_id='2405849' first='Timi' last='Ogunsanya'] brought a spark recording 10 points.&nbsp; We are high on freshman combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='2531970' first='Ben' last='Ojala'] who had 8 points draining a pair of threes while showing a high level of feel for the game at a young age.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Riverside Brookfield was led in scoring by senior [player_tooltip player_id='2415420' first='Danny' last='Loftus'].&nbsp; He is a reliable player that scores in the paint with crafty moves as he had 14 points.&nbsp; Class of 2026 shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='2105396' first='Cameron' last='Mercer'] drained a few mid-range jumpers and stretched it once for 9 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lemont Outlasts Marian Catholic in Double OT</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This next contest was a low scoring contest that went back and forth through double overtime where Lemont won over Marian Catholic 57-53.&nbsp; Top 3 junior [player_tooltip player_id='1552393' first='Gabriel' last='Sularski'] came up with key plays when they needed them.&nbsp; He pushed the ball in the open floor and was adept with his body control on euro steps and other tough takes.&nbsp; We liked how tough he was on the glass including a quick second jump to get a key and-1.&nbsp; We had him with 19 points and 10 rebounds.&nbsp; Shea Glotzbach brought a spark for Lemont in this one.&nbsp; His toughness on the boards and scoring in the paint brought life to his team as he notched 14 points.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2105174' first='Matas' last='Gaidukevicius'] didn't shoot it as well as he usually does, but still managed 10 points.&nbsp; Off the bench [player_tooltip player_id='2749990' first='Zane' last='Schneider'] is a sophomore that caught our attention as the 6'2” 2027 prospect had 6 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We got an extensive look at [player_tooltip player_id='2723815' first='Delan' last='Davis'] for Marian Catholic who has been posting big numbers this season.&nbsp; The 6'1” two guard did it again with 27 points in the loss.&nbsp; Loves to push it in the open floor and get to the rim with a capable shot.&nbsp; His running mate [player_tooltip player_id='2321398' first='Zack' last='Sharkey'] hit a few tough jumpers from inside the arc on his way to 13 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hillcrest Dominates Up Front with Size and Guards Back them Up</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This one was never really close as Hillcrest beat Payton 51-29.&nbsp; The biggest advantage Hillcrest had was their big boys inside with 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2617401' first='Jaylen' last='Ingram'] and 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2323269' first='Max' last='Carmicle'].&nbsp; They owned the glass and were monsters defensively.&nbsp; Ingram was a major rim protector all game long.&nbsp; Carmicle carved out space finishing out of the dunker spot on his way to 12 points.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2321451' first='Jovi' last='Ratliff'] was pouring in jumpers from his point guard position as the senior had 17 points.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2540107' first='Jamir' last='Ratliff'] went for 10 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Desmond Opoko-Ware came off the bench and was the best player on the floor for Payton.&nbsp; The 6'2” shooting guard is an angular wing that was active finishing around the hoop and getting to the line for 14 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gonzales and Montgomery Duel in Brother Rice Win</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oak Lawn led the majority of this game, but in the end Brother Rice prevailed 85-77 behind a big fourth quarter.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='1545120' first='Marcos' last='Gonzales'] was the story.&nbsp; The Citadel commit had a career high 36 points in the victory.&nbsp; He was fantastic and the crazy part is I thought especially early on his playmaking setting others up was his best attribute.&nbsp; As the game went along he started feeling it and the shots fell one after another pouring in jumpers and converting strong takes to the rack.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2538898' first='Jack' last='Weigus'] was a very good secondary scoring option all game long as he had 17 points scoring on transition finishes and on straight line takes.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2538949' first='KJ' last='Morris'] is a guard that was at his best finishing in the paint out of the dunker spot for 16 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Donte Montgomery is a PHI favorite that had 20 points in the loss.&nbsp; Siliky smooth perimeter game being able to get buckets from just about anywhere on the floor.&nbsp; Most of his damage was on slick takes in this one as the long ball wasn't falling as much.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2433457' first='Jack' last='Dempsey'] certainly had his perimeter shot dropping as the lefty banged in an array of triples along with flashing some crisp handles as the 2026 wing had a strong performance scoring 20 points in the loss.&nbsp; Omar Saleh with 17 points and [player_tooltip player_id='2734444' first='Marc' last='Harvey'] with 10 points brought a nice combination of toughness and skill on the Oak Lawn front line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Zilys Continues to See Stock Rise for Marist</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In Marist's 65-37 victory over Lincoln Way East the pre game story line was quickly taken over by the shooting display of junior [player_tooltip player_id='2341349' first='Rokas' last='Zilys'] who poured in one after another in the early going.&nbsp; One of the best pure catch and shoot guys in the state had 20 points in the win.&nbsp; Crafty point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1845365' first='Adoni' last='Vassilakis'] ran the show with his passing while picking his spots scoring 9 points.&nbsp; LWE transfer to Marist [player_tooltip player_id='1552436' first='Karson' last='Thomas'] is a D1 prospect that started off a bit slow, but then got it going in the second half draining a couple threes and attacking with an explosive first step on his way to 15 points.&nbsp; Up front [player_tooltip player_id='2375627' first='Marquis' last='Vance'] was a force on the glass, defensively, and chipped in 5 points.&nbsp; Sophomore combo forward [player_tooltip player_id='2125658' first='Kendall' last='Meyers'] gives this team upside as a versatile and skilled mismatch problem as he had 9 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lincoln Way East was led by Jaymon Hornsby as the junior guard put his name on the map with an 11 point game.&nbsp; The PG displayed good athleticism and a nice mid-range game.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2724366' first='Jonathan' last='Aluyi'] brought size up front at 6'7” scoring 5 points while fellow senior Brenden Sanders had 6 points hitting some mid-range jumpers and flying around with his athleticism.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Curie Survives Upset Attempt vs TF North Sophomore Duo</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Curie won against TF North, but they trailed the first three quarters before taking their defense and transition scoring to another level in the fourth winning narrowly 56-50.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2452415' first='Brad' last='Johnson'] is probably the best place to start as the shooting guard was brilliant pouring in jumpers early from distance, using his bounce on the glass, and being disruptive defensively for 14 points.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2617395' first='Jahkil' last='Jackson'] came off the bench and was a major force in the second half with his take over ability finishing with 9 points.&nbsp; Really liked the motor and bounce from [player_tooltip player_id='2723840' first='Rashaad' last='Wilson'] on the offensive glass netting 7 points while 2026 point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2734369' first='Justin' last='Oliver'] made key plays one after another scoring and passing while notching 10 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We can not talk more highly about TF North's 2027 duo of [player_tooltip player_id='2323613' first='Demarco' last='King'] and Dereon Smothers.&nbsp; The 6'4” combo guard shared the ball handling duties while each proved to be effective both on and off the ball.&nbsp; King had 10 points on a couple threes, runner, and mid-range jumper.&nbsp; Smothers was so slick making it look effortless when the rock was in his hands getting wherever he wanted for scores or passes.&nbsp; He went for 14 points in the loss.&nbsp; Both of these guards are going to be very coveted college prospects!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mt. Carmel Guard Trio Impresses over Whitney Young</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a complete blitz by Mt. Carmel knocking off Whitney Young 52-37.&nbsp; Every time the Dolphins thought they had one guard contained another one hit them.&nbsp; It started out with the sharp shooting of Air Force commit [player_tooltip player_id='2105179' first='Grant' last='Best'].&nbsp; The senior is a big time perimeter shot maker with athleticism that played above the rim and also rebounded at a high rate going for 23 points.&nbsp; Then [player_tooltip player_id='1845357' first='Noah' last='Mister'] had a stretch as the 2026 flashy point guard played with flair in the open floor using his ball handling and body control to rack up points in the transition game for 16 points and 11 dimes.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='1385307' first='Cameron' last='Thomas'] then put the stamp on the game.&nbsp; Broad shouldered senior combo guard plays with a ton of physicality and athleticism.&nbsp; He makes threes, cuts off the ball, and pounds the offensive glass.&nbsp; Also had a hammer dunk while scoring 26 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Whitney Young it was pretty much [player_tooltip player_id='1552475' first='Marquis' last='Clark'].&nbsp; The Dolphins star point guard who checks in at #2 overall in the 2026 class had it all working off the dribble in this one.&nbsp; He was a one man show with his ball handling getting to the rack with a variety of moves.&nbsp; Pushed in transition for scores and finished through contact for and-1s.&nbsp; He had 28 points in the loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>After Slow Start Kenwood Cruises over Downers Grove South Behind Fab 4</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Early on it looked like Downers Grove South was going to make a real game against Kenwood as they were leading after one quarter, but Kenwood turned it on with their immense star power and took it home 73-59.&nbsp; Class of 2027 point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2125612' first='Devin' last='Cleveland'] showed why he is the best prospect in the state.&nbsp; He had 23 points in the win making it look relatively easy.&nbsp; He banged in threes with ease, pushed the open floor with speed for himself and others, got to the charity stripe, slick finishes, and was excellent on the defensive end.&nbsp; Complete all-around game.&nbsp; Class of 2025 forward [player_tooltip player_id='2321397' first='TJ' last='Seals'] has always had a great motor, defended at a high level, been a tenacious rebounder, and finished inside.&nbsp; We saw the skill we wanted on Saturday as he made several great reads as a passer along with him hitting a pair of threes.&nbsp; These two aspects are going to open up so many more college avenues for Seals who is primed to soar up the board in our mid-season update.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='1385283' first='Aleks' last='Alston'] had a nice all-around game as the lefty face up four man threw down a pair of and-1s, hit from mid-range, was active on the defensive end, and passed it well while scoring 17 points.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='1385290' first='Amari' last='Edwards'] continues to be the perfect fit with this group especially next to Cleveland bringing consistent shooting from three along with quickness when the ball is in his hands.&nbsp; Went for 14 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Downers Grove South has a go to player the next two seasons in 2026 shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='2323275' first='Adam' last='Flowers'].&nbsp; Feathery jumper which he poured in from both two and three along with flashing some playmaking and handles in an 18 point outing.&nbsp; Wyatt Wawro drained an array of threes for DGS in a 15 point performance.&nbsp; Liked the overall toughness and floor game from [player_tooltip player_id='2617411' first='Kaleb' last='Istvanik'] who had 7 points along with the interior toughness of [player_tooltip player_id='2415421' first='Daniel' last='Sveiteris'] finishing with 8 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->