Holiday Championship New Years Eve: Scotty B’s Wednesday Notebook

<a>***Use Code “ScottyB30” for 30% off your annual subscription***</a>   We are going all around the state today for Championship Day of the holiday tournament season!  We have coverage from Pontiac, Jack Tosh, and Pekin!  Look at title games and contests leading up to them.  Of course we will be looking at the key prospects throughout the day!   Pontiac   Homewood Flossmoor Backcourt Rolls in Win over Joliet West   We caught a good one in the morning between Homewood Flossmoor and Joliet West to start the morning off from Pontiac.  HF's guard play was just too much as they won 58-47.  The Vikings lead guard [player_tooltip player_id='2467517' first='Darrius' last='Hawkins'] is an explosive PG with the rock in his hands.  Got to the rim for multiple and-1s and was active defensively getting steals and taking charges.  He had 16 points.  One of the breakout prospects from the Pontiac Holiday Tournament was Jayden McDonald.  The 6'1” 2027 shooting guard burst on our radar with a strong performance where for the second game in a row he shot it really well especially getting elevation off the floor in the mid-range game.  Can knock down spot up triples as well as he did in the second half.  Went for 20 points.   Joliet West got a solid outing from their go to senior Aamir Shannon.  The two guard brings plus athleticism scoring in the open floor and a crisp pull up jumper as he had 7 points.  Active sophomore wing [player_tooltip player_id='2546996' first='Abrey' last='Robinson'] had 9 points and 5 rebounds.   DePaul Prep Shuts off New Trier Offense in 2nd Half as Best Trio in State Leads Them to Finals   This was a competitive game through about midway through the 3rd quarter and then DePaul Prep turned to their defense and shut down New Trier leading to a 50-36 win advancing to the Pontiac title game for the second straight year.  Rykan Woo was fantastic in the victory as he ripped off a quick 10 points to start the game and continued doing everything throughout.  Shot it from three, stellar soft touch finishing game, blow by moves in transition, steals, on the money dimes.  He had it all working in a 19 point outing.  Their big man Rashaun Porter lived up to his top 5 status with a 15 point, 10 rebound, 3 steal, and 2 block performance.  He was his usual physical and athletic self around the rim using positioning and tenacity to dominate inside!  AJ Chambers set up his teammates as the Michigan Tech commit went for 9 points and 5 dimes working in some crafty takes to the rack.  Versatile Zion Lee played to his role once again rebounding and finishing around the hoop for 7 points and 5 rebounds.   New Trier freshman big man [player_tooltip player_id='2405910' first='Denym' last='Wallace'] continues to produce.  He has more than proved he is among the premier 2029 prospects in the state.  Went up against a veteran big man and notched 9 points and 5 rebounds.  Max Vogel (7 points), [player_tooltip player_id='2839877' first='Elton' last='Jaegerskog'] (6 points), and Matthew Logue (8 points) all had solid games.   Benet Blasts Curie in Semis to Set Up Clash of Defending State Champs   Benet got out fast and Curie was in danger territory midway through the 2nd quarter and the Redwings kept pouring it on including a dagger three to close the half.  They went on to roll against currently #2 ranked Curie 74-41.  The front line for Benet was the difference as Colin Stack and [player_tooltip player_id='2323620' first='Ed' last='Stasys'] completely controlled everything offensively and defensively near the rim.  They got every rebound, protected the rim, and finished with force!  Stack had 9 points and 8 rebounds while Stasys had 15 points and 8 rebounds.  Eastern Illinois commit Jayden Wright was fantastic as he ran the show while making 3-6 from beyond the arc and getting to the rim.  He went for 23 points and 6 dimes.  With the win it sets up preseason #1 DePaul Prep vs #2 Benet in the Pontiac title game.   Curie's star Justin Oliver was quiet once again in the first half, but erupted in the second scoring 16 of his team high 20 points in the second half.  He is one of the best uncommitted guards in the senior class.   Benet Wins Pontiac Championship in Battle of #1 vs #2 Preseason   We will have a new #1 team heading into the New Year!  The top two teams in the preseason clashed in the Pontiac Holiday Tournament title game and it went to Benet by a final of 52-43.  Benet held a steady couple possession lead most of the second half and broke it open a little more late with a dunk show by their two D1 big men.  Colin Stack threw down some big time dunks in this game on lobs, tip slams, and at the end he had full clearance to throw the hammer down on the win.  He had 15 points in the title game.  Big man [player_tooltip player_id='2323620' first='Ed' last='Stasys'] has a ton of helium in the 2027 class as he could be making a move into the top 5 with how well he has been playing.  The power forward is an elite rebounder, defender, and finisher that notched 14 points and 10 rebounds.  The heart and soul of their team is Jayden Wright!  The EIU commit ran the show and hit some deep threes netting 11 points and 5 dimes.  [player_tooltip player_id='2425956' first='Perry' last='Tchiegne'] is the versatile piece that can not be defined by one stat as he is the glue that holds everything together!  He had 6 points in the championship game.   DePaul Prep big man Rashaun Porter took it at Benet in the first half with spin moves, hooks, and straight line takes for 12 points and 5 rebounds.  Northern Michigan commit AJ Chambers went for 15 points as he kept them in the game with his nifty scoring in the paint on drives in the second half.  Rykan Woo battled foul trouble throughout the game finishing with 8 points.   Jack Tosh   Host York Takes Consolation Championship over Oswego   The consolation championship game began things over at Jack Tosh on Wednesday which saw York win on their home floor in a competitive game against Oswego 55-49.  Class of 2027 wing [player_tooltip player_id='2839900' first='Joseph' last='Lubbe'] finished out his big week with another strong game.  Wing with solid size that has a nice looking shot from the perimeter and seemed to make key plays at all the right times for the Dukes in their run in the consolation bracket as he had 14 points in the win.  Getting big man Hunter Stepanich back for this one was important as he brought them size up front and on the glass notching 9 points, 6 rebounds, and multiple blocks including one to close out the game late.   Oswego standout 2028 guard [player_tooltip player_id='2125627' first='Ethan' last='Vahl'] carried his team for stretches in this game.  The slick handling combo guard scored well at the rim maneuvering his body for difficult euro steps and layups.  Got loose off his defense and hit a couple threes going for 18 points in the loss.  Looks every bit the part of a high-major guard early in the process!   St. Ignatius Led by 2028s Capture Jack Tosh Tile over St. Patrick   St. Patrick jumped out fast in the Jack Tosh Championship game behind their senior big man RJ McPartlin who was a force in the early going, but St. Ignatius settled themselves down.  They started hitting threes.  A LOT of 3s!  In the second half it was the [player_tooltip player_id='2531962' first='Amir' last='Tucker'] show as he and [player_tooltip player_id='2381425' first='DJ' last='Caldwell'] made a plethora of threes as the 2028s led St. Ignatius to the Jack Tosh crown 46-32.   [player_tooltip player_id='2531962' first='Amir' last='Tucker'] has stepped up to every big moment as a sophomore.  The highly ranked 2028 point guard was lethal from three in this game nailing five of them in the victory.  Shot it with confidence, set his teammates up, and got after it with his length defensively.  He had 17 points (5-8 3 PT) in the victory.  Fellow sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2381425' first='DJ' last='Caldwell'] shined on the big stage as he had three long balls along with shot fakes into pull ups for 13 points (3-4 3PT).  He has helium heading into the second half of the season.  The sharp shooting from [player_tooltip player_id='2125620' first='Duke' last='Ross'] continued with two more in the championship going for 8 points.  While their star Yale commit Chris Bolte didn't score a ton the big man still impacted in other areas with 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals.   RJ McPartlin was a force inside for St. Patrick.  The big man definitely elevated his stock with a strong performance in the title game.  The 2026 is a physical post that showcased that power game going through opponents inside, pounding the glass, and having quick post moves for 15 points (6-11 FG) and 7 rebounds.   Pekin   Smith-Holley is Exceptional as Richwoods Tops Mt. Carmel for Pekin Championship   The Pekin Holiday Tournament ended with a game between Richwoods and Mt. Carmel that featured three of the truly elite young talents in the state.  They played up to the moment too as Richwoods won the title 61-54.  Class of 2028 point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2531961' first='Amarion' last='Smith-Holley'] showcased his elite athleticism, speed, and body control at the rim.  He was spectacular consistently getting in the paint for acrobatic layups while drawing contact.  Rebounded at a high level, pin point passing, and put pressure on the ball defensively.  He had 24 points (11-20 FG), 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.  His fellow 2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2362360' first='Anfernee' last='Moore'] played off Smith-Holley's passing as he scored inside carving out space converting out of the dunker spot and getting on the offensive glass for 13 points and 6 rebounds.  Tony Bradford continues to shine for this Richwoods squad.  The Manual transfer brought a spark with his straight line takes, drive/kick dimes, and shot making as he had 14 points.   [player_tooltip player_id='2915584' first='DK' last='Heard'] from Mt. Carmel is coming for that #1 spot!  Just a couple days after saying we thought his teammate had the inside track on the top spot in 2029 Heard announced his arrival with back to back double doubles.  He played with a motor and tenacity that we have not seen previously!  In the championship game he won on spinning drives, got to the hoop in pick/rolls, hit a three, lived on the offensive glass with his second jump, and racked up the free throws as he had 20 points (6-12 FG) (7-8 FT), 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks.  [player_tooltip player_id='2767906' first='Ronald' last='Johnson'] is the other highly touted freshman.  The point guard has elite size at 6'3” and plays strong with the ball.  Three level scorer with passing feel and the physical tools are impressive at a young age!  Went for 9 points and 6 rebounds.  Another strong game from 2027 wing [player_tooltip player_id='2403910' first='Logan' last='Wessel'] as he was extremely active on the offensive glass as he had 13 points and 8 rebounds.

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