IHSA State Finals: Scotty B's Championship Notebook

Saturday was the final day of the high school basketball season.  It concluded with four state championship games!  Here is all you need to know from a team and prospect standpoint in one place in IHSA State Finals: Scotty B's Championship Notebook!   Marshall's Massive 4th Quarter Run Caps 1A State Title over Goreville   Goreville looked like it was in steady command of the game after a Zech Green shot at the end of the quarter sent them into the fourth up 39-31.  That was not the case.  Marshall turned up the defensive heat to as high as it could and the turnovers started flowing for Goreville as Marshall got steals for buckets to quickly flip the script winning the 4th quarter 21-5 and in turn the state title 52-44.   DJ Laye was the story.  The 2028 point guard has arrived.  PHI's Steve Parham told me to keep an eye on him, but he was better than I ever could have imagined in the championship as the 5'11” point guard was relentless attacking the cup over and over for scores in the paint.  Dynamic ball handler with slippery moves and creative finishes in the paint.  His on ball and help pressure defensively caused an amazing amount of steals which led to points on the other end.  He had 30 points (11-17 FG) (8-11 FT), 7 rebounds, 6 steals, and 2 dimes.  Struggled with some turnovers especially early with 7 of them, but overall it was a put your name on the map type performance by the sophomore in the 2028 class!  [player_tooltip player_id='2827104' first='Rayvon' last='Myles'] is a 6'1” junior guard who is a dynamic defender and athletic finisher who had 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 steals.  He was relentless with his pressure!  Smaller guard Edward Humes hit a couple of threes for 6 points.  Inside [player_tooltip player_id='2515335' first='Amari' last='Cornell'] is a broad shouldered post who brought physicality getting to the foul line and being effective defensively with 6 points and 2 blocks.   Goreville 2027 guard Lawson Land got off to a nice start in this game after a slow game in the semis.  Land was aggressive on fake dribble handoffs to the cup along with converting with either hand at the rim.  He had 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks.  Senior 5'10” point guard Zech Green left it all out there in his final high school game showcasing his ability to knock in shots from both mid-range pulling up and three with 13 points.  [player_tooltip player_id='2632068' first='Nick' last='King'] is a 2027 wing who will return next season with his downhill slashing and creativity scoring in the lane off the bounce.  Dropped 10 points (4-6 FG).   Peoria Manual Captures 2A Against Central Illinois Foe Quincy Notre Dame   Manual's tough schedule prepared them for this game against Quincy Notre Dame and it showed in the second half.  After being a close game early Manual went on a 16-6 run in the third quarter which pushed the lead.  QND made a run in the 4th quarter, but Manual held them off winning the game by a final of 60-55.  [player_tooltip player_id='2734423' first='Jaquan' last='Brown'] lit up the championship game as he had 23 points (11-14 FG).  Impacted the game on both ends.  Long guard that will find a nice home at the small college or JUCO level with his ability to hit gaps, defend all over the floor, and score in transition.  Josh Humbles is a strong combo forward that has been consistently productive for Manual.  Plays with physicality around the hoop through contact out of the dunker spot, slashes with strength, and drops in a baseline jumper as he had 14 points (5-6 FG), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals.  [player_tooltip player_id='2734472' first='Reginald' last='Postlewaite'] is a compact guard with burst and a strong frame.  He attacks downhill where he gets to the rim both in the half court and transition notching 7 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in the title game.  The set up man for everybody in this game was junior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='3430159' first='Tahj' last='Tolliver'] who stuffed the stat sheet for 8 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals.   Jace Allensworth was the go to guy for Tolono Unity.  The senior forward who is committed to Quincy pretty much carried his team for the majority of the game.  Well built 6'3” small forward who is crafty with the ball in his hands.  Can handle it winning on quick drives, stopping and popping in the mid-range, along with crafty scores down low in the paint.  He had 21 points (8-15 FG) and 4 steals.  Also Western Illinois football commit Gavin Doellman stepped up for QND in key moments with a couple of big threes along with notching an and-1 on a pick/roll.  He had 12 points.   East St. Louis Captures 3A Crown in Battle with Deerfield   Big time players make big time plays in big time games.  Yup that pretty much sums up the performance of [player_tooltip player_id='1873523' first='Jamison' last='White'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2822953' first='Alex' last='Johnson'] in the 3A State Championship as they made every important play at key moments for the East St. Louis Flyers to capture the title 52-46 over Deerfield.  White is the #2 overall prospect in the 2026 class and is headed to Penn State.  He was a dominating force in the title game recording 19 points (7-18 FG) (4-5 FT), 17 rebounds (11 offensive), 4 dimes, 3 blocks, and 2 steals in the game.  His ability to use his second jump on the offensive glass was outstanding consistently out jumping his opponent before they could even get off the ground.  As always he physically and athletically dominated the game imposing his will which he has done since the first time we saw him with this team back in June.  [player_tooltip player_id='2822953' first='Alex' last='Johnson'] remains one of the top uncommitted seniors in the state.  The smooth two guard is a super consistent bucket getter that goes about his business game in and game out putting up rock solid numbers.  No different on the big stage as he sliced and diced off the dribble, in transition, hit a couple of threes, and got to the line.  Very good defender moving his feet laterally and making things tough for his opponent.  Dropped 14 points (5-14 FG) in the title game.  Their junior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2962335' first='Phillip' last='Jones'] only scored 3 points, but he was impactful with his passing drawing defenders in the lane kicking or finding his finishers inside as he had 3 assists along with 4 rebounds.  Terri'yon Webster stepped up in this game as the wing left and impression on the defensive end along with getting loose in the open floor for 7 points and 3 steals.   Deerfield senior big man [player_tooltip player_id='1552404' first='Jake' last='Pollack'] tried to carry his team all the way, but it wasn't in the cards for the Dartmouth commit.  Skilled four man had a great playoff run and showed some of those skills in this game.  Opened with a top of the key three, ran the floor hard, finished with strength, and is an outstanding passing post.  He finished with 15 points (4-12 FG) (6-8 FT), 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.   [player_tooltip player_id='2217962' first='Evan' last='Nagler'] is a skilled wing that had an efficient contest.  Poured in multiple baseline jumpers and straight line takes for 13 points (5-8 FG).  [player_tooltip player_id='2125685' first='Tommy' last='Donahue'] is a junior wing to track.  Gets elevation in his pull up game along with utilizing a shot fake to get in the paint.  He had 10 points (5-8 FG) and 6 rebounds.   Marist Knocks off Goliath Benet to Win 4A Championship with ELITE Defensive Performance   Theme of the day was great defense carries on a college court and in a state title game.  We saw no better defensive performance against a high quality team this year than what Marist did as they dismantled Benet on that end including holding them to ZERO points in the second quarter.  That was how they knocked off the top team in the state and defending champs as Marist took home the big trophy 44-28.   Marist built toward this night for four years. [player_tooltip player_id='1845350' first='Stephen' last='Brown'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1845365' first='Adoni' last='Vassilakis'] came in to high school as a highly regarded duo. [player_tooltip player_id='2323300' first='TJ' last='Tate'] has been a steady lead guard with his passing and defense. [player_tooltip player_id='1552436' first='Karson' last='Thomas'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1552445' first='Charles' last='Barnes Jr']. were added as the missing transfer two way wings to take them over the top. The last key piece was the emergence of [player_tooltip player_id='2125658' first='Kendall' last='Meyers'] in the 2027 class over the last several years as a legit D1 player. Saturday night saw it all come together. This was not the same team I saw struggle in December at Chicago Elite Classic. They grew and came together as a group to win this championship. Went from a collection of highly ranked players to a dominant TEAM!   In the championship game their defense set the tone all game long, but between the second and fourth quarters combined Benet scored three points.  In two full quarters!  Marist's guards swarmed, the wings wouldn't allow dribble penetration, and Meyers/Brown walled up inside against the Benet front line.  It was a clinic!   [player_tooltip player_id='1552445' first='Charles' last='Barnes Jr'] has made the biggest stride from the summer to know.  He has always been an elite defender which was shown in this game, but his offensive skill game along this year including in the title game scoring 13 points (3-6 FG) and was a perfect 7-7 from the line.  [player_tooltip player_id='1845350' first='Stephen' last='Brown'] is going to play football in college, but still remains one of the top power forwards in the class.  He had 8 points and 8 rebounds in the championship game playing off his athleticism in the paint including multiple second chance points.  [player_tooltip player_id='2323300' first='TJ' last='Tate'] ran the show like a conductor!  Pin point passing and creative scoring in the paint for 7 points and 4 dimes.  [player_tooltip player_id='1552436' first='Karson' last='Thomas'] is coming off a knee injury, but gutted it out giving the Redhawks a spark with three of his go to 15 foot pull ups.  [player_tooltip player_id='1845365' first='Adoni' last='Vassilakis'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2125658' first='Kendall' last='Meyers'] each only scored 3 points, but made plays on the defensive end along with as connective passers.   Benet 7'0” big man [player_tooltip player_id='2105376' first='Colin' last='Stack'] closed his career out with 9 points (4-5 FG) and 5 rebounds.  They just couldn't get him the touches with all the defensive pressure surrounding him.  Standout junior [player_tooltip player_id='2323620' first='Ed' last='Stasys'] did a nice job on the glass, but struggled finishing as he closed the year out with 4 points (2-9 FG) and rebounds.

Saturday was the final day of the high school basketball season. It concluded with four state championship games! Here is all you need to know from a team and prospect standpoint in one place in IHSA State Finals: Scotty B's Championship Notebook!