Prep Hoops Grit Region Finals – Ramsey’s Saturday Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bracket play got underway on Saturday afternoon and we are now several steps closer to crowning some champions here at the Prep Hoops Circuit Grit Region Finals. After another great day in the gym at the Canlan Sports Center in Barrington, Illinois it is time once again to empty out the notebook and discuss what we watched throughout the day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">8:00 a.m. Crew</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As always, the 8:00 a.m. crew had boots on the ground to see who else got out of bed and was ready to compete. The first game we watched on Saturday morning was a bit out of the ordinary. [program_tooltip program_id='2078408' first='Team' last='Rose'] 17u played the majority of the contest with just four players, but were able to hang around until reinforcements arrived midway through the second half. Ultimately, they got the game to overtime and eventually won 62-59.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6'7" forward Grant Kooyenga (Brookfield East H.S. 2026) is actually the one who sent the game to overtime for Pro Lane 17u with a right wing three-point shot as time expired. The fluidly athletic forward was a very intriguing prospect for Pro Lane that displayed the ability to use his size to score inside along with the skill level to step out to three-point range. He and 6'4" physical wing [player_tooltip player_id='2844402' first='Arnez' last='Jones'] (North Lawndale College Prep 2026) had a great back-and-forth battle throughout this early morning matchup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jones finished with 16 points, most of which came in the second half and overtime, in [program_tooltip program_id='2078408' first='Team' last='Rose'] 17u's come from behind overtime victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">A 43-Point Individual Performance</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Whatever Sunday brings, it is unlikely that we will see anything on an individual basis quite like what [player_tooltip player_id='1552450' first='Mark' last='Render'] (Antioch H.S. 2026) did on Saturday morning. The 6'1" guard came out of the gate hot for [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] White 17u scoring 17 of their first 24 points. He was hitting from beyond the arc, slicing his way to the basket and finishing with a creative package against size, and finding success in the mid-range. Render remained hot into the second half and then really turned it on as [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] White ended up running away with an 81-61 win over Midwest Flyers - Levett.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Render went on to hit six three-point shots and finish with an incredible 43 points in the matchup. There were a couple of college coaches that were floating around between courts and then got locked in on Render as shot after shot continued to fall. It was an absolutely incredible individual performance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Windsor United Rolls to Victory</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you are going to need a passport to come compete you might as well make the trip worth while. Windsor United 17u certainly looked the part on Saturday morning as they dominated 2 Face Elite to the tune of a 67-37 win. There were several standouts on their end, but nobody was more impressive than Austin Brown (Holy Names 2026). The athletic 6'1" guard was a dynamic playmaking throughout showcasing the ability to make pinpoint passes from a live dribble while also creating his own scoring opportunities. He led the team with 17 points and dished out several assists as well. They will be a team to watch heading into bracket play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">INB Elite 17u Firing On All Cylinders</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Playing with just a six man rotation, INB Elite 17u needed everyone to step up against a talented [program_tooltip program_id='2075386' first='Chicago' last='Lockdown'] - Therapos 17u team. That is exactly what happened as all six players scored, four were in double-figures with 13 or more points, and a fifth finished with 9 points. INB Elite went on to win 74-51.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1561106' first='Austin' last='Ford'] (Brebeuf Jesuit 2026) was the leader in the scoring column with 19 points. His quick-twitch playmaking ability was on full display while he consistently created separation from his defender and scored in from all three levels. [player_tooltip player_id='2869545' first='Josh' last='McGee'] (Indianapolis Metropolitan H.S. 2026) added to the backcourt attack finishing with 16 points. He was explosive in the open floor finishing several impressive layups, with both hands, in transition. On the interior, it was 6'7" big man [player_tooltip player_id='1560993' first='Logan' last='Peters'] (Heritage Christian 2026) who put up 14 points on seven two-point field goals. This was arguably the best game we have seen Peters play. He displayed great hands, relentlessly attacked the glass on both ends, and finished at a high percentage. [player_tooltip player_id='2140342' first='Chace' last='Ford'] (Brebeuf Jesuit 2027) rounded out the double-figure scorers with 13 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Academy Black Wins in Dominant Fashion</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This one was over just about as quickly as it got started. Buck Allen (Chelsea H.S. 2026) was hot out of the gate from three-point range, Cyrus Goins (Wayne Memorial H.S. 2026) used his length and athleticism to score in multiple ways, and then Jacob Figaro (Cass Tech 2026) and [player_tooltip player_id='1296980' first='Brandon' last='Williams'] (Ann Arbor Huron H.S. 2026) dominated in transition as The Academy Black cruised to a 65-22 blowout victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Allen went on to connect on five three-point shots, while only playing about half of the game, and led the way with 15 points. Figaro got layup after layup in transition in the second half and ended up finishing with 14 points. This is a really fun team to watch with a number of different guys who can step up in a given game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->