3 Takeaways: Lemont vs Thornton

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The regional semis were in full gear on Wednesday night across the state.&nbsp; In the first contest we checked out Thornton traveled to Lemont.&nbsp; The host school Lemont took care of business winning 70-40 to open the playoffs.&nbsp; We dive into the contest in our <strong>3 Takeaways: Lemont vs Thornton</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sularski Continuing Big Second Half of Season</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The state's #3 junior Lemont small forward [player_tooltip player_id='1552393' first='Gabriel' last='Sularski'] put on a show in their win.&nbsp; He struggled in the first half of the season, but ever since the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic he has been a different player.&nbsp; Consistent and aggressive.&nbsp; Not settling for jumpers.&nbsp; He was in attack mode all evening with his ability to score in the paint on post ups, winning off the bounce, going coast to coast, getting on the offensive glass, and getting buckets moving on cuts off the ball.&nbsp; Also hit a three.&nbsp; Finished very well around the hoop while notching 28 points.&nbsp; Also liked the creativity he showed as a passer with several whip around dishes to shooters and scorers.&nbsp; Rebounds well for his position and is playing with a competitive fire!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>More than Just Gabe for Lemont</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While Sularski gets all the pub this team is more than just him.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2105174' first='Matas' last='Gaidukevicius'] is a long and lanky wing that can really shoot it from distance.&nbsp; The unsigned senior is a plus shot maker from deep that poured in multiple threes along with a tough step back two.&nbsp; More than just a shooter he has pop off the bounce on straight line takes and is a good defender.&nbsp; Went for 16 points.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2321410' first='Alanas' last='Castillo'] is a sound shooter that knocked one in from mid-range while scoring 7 points.&nbsp; Sophomore point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2749990' first='Zane' last='Schneider'] is a plus three point shooter especially from the corners off the catch who can mix in a drive on occasion as he had 10 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Senior and Pair of Underclassmen Shine for Thornton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Thornton their top long term prospect is 2028 small forward DeAndre Higgs.&nbsp; Great frame with long arms.&nbsp; He showed flashes in this one hitting a couple threes, getting on the offensive boards, getting a dime in the drive/kick game, along with slashing for a score at the cup finishing with 10 points.&nbsp; New underclassmen that burst on our radar was 6'0” 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2825693' first='Jeremy' last='Blanco-Rios'] who had 10 points.&nbsp; Slick ball handler who did all of his damage off the dribble scoring in the paint.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2815685' first='Jordan' last='Maple'] is a 5'10” point guard who in his final high school game poured in four triples while scoring 16 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->