Ridgewood Live: Teddy’s Early Saturday Notebook

Teddy Bahu June 27, 2026 @ 08:42 PM

Here's my notebook from early Saturday in Ridgewood. I was there bright and early catching several top teams in action before I saw even more action in the late morning and early afternoon. Here's my top notes.   Benet Downs ESTL   These are two squads that will likely be top 10 teams in the state when the season begins. Benet looked like they can fly from the opening tip. That included several transition and fastbreak buckets spearheaded by [player_tooltip player_id='2426050' first='Blair' last='Fagbemi'] with crisp distribution skills. Finishing things off most of the time in the early stages was [player_tooltip player_id='2323620' first='Ed' last='Stasys'], who really had his way on the low block. That included several athletic finishes near the rim as well as some solid footwork in the post. For East St. Louis, there were lots of contributing players to keep this matchup tight. One of them being [player_tooltip player_id='2962335' first='Phillip' last='Jones'] who continues to shine with his explosiveness to the rim. As well as some more solid guard play from Devrice Johnson. But it was Benet who controlled things later on in this matchup. Spearheaded by [player_tooltip player_id='2323620' first='Ed' last='Stasys'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2425956' first='Perry' last='Tchiegne']. Tchiegne really caught my eye in the closing stages of this game with his explosiveness driving to the rim as well as his creativity. That includes a nice reverse layup and a pump-fake finish in the air. Benet won.    Lincoln Park Roars Past R-B   The Lions look like they can be another threat  in the public league this season. That showed with a solid all-around effort to begin the morning against Riverside-Brookfield. Everyone was getting involved from the opening tip as they steamrolled to a 19-4 start in this game. Several sophomores and juniors did their job in this game. That includes [player_tooltip player_id='2542413' first='Alvin' last='Robinson'], who has the most long-term potential in this group as a lengthy 6'4" shooting guard. The strides he makes allowed for several tight finishes attacking the rim. As well as 6'5" SF [player_tooltip player_id='2381428' first='Carmelo' last='Jones'] who was a beast crashing the boards and can really get out and fly. I also saw plenty of contributions from sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='2385667' first='Andre' last='Harris'], [player_tooltip player_id='2846906' first='Lucas' last='Olingou'], and Jalen Harris. Later in the game, senior [player_tooltip player_id='2837979' first='Jayden' last='Townsend'] stepped up and was a big interior presence for the lions. Blocking several shots for them on the low block and effectively winning the rebound battle. A fastbreak dunk from [player_tooltip player_id='2846906' first='Lucas' last='Olingou'] later in the matchup along with a midrange jumper from [player_tooltip player_id='2953578' first='Jalen' last='Neal'] helped keep them in front. The Lions roared past R-B 44-28.   [player_tooltip player_id='3454838' first='Cole' last='Tillman'] Shines for Mendota   Tillman is in the running to be one of the best small-town prospects in the state. He really controlled the game Sunday morning against Wheeling. Lefty shooter found his way with a smooth floater and a couple more midrange buckets early on. But he makes everyone around him better with his playmaking abilities. That included a slick behind the back assist at one point as well as finding open shooters in the corner for three. Outside of Tillman, I saw a very solid showing from Ashtyn Stambarger as a shooter and interior defender. He also showed plenty of explosiveness as a forward cutting to the rim. Abel Nanez, another junior, excelled with his defensive capabilities as well as the ability to make the right cuts towards the rim. These two, plus Tillman, led Mendota on a big run in the second half. Tillman catapulted this with a tight tip-in off his own miss as well as a catch-and-shoot three pointer in the corner. This group will surely be a 1A threat over the next couple years.   A look at Wheeling   On the other side of the matchup featuring [player_tooltip player_id='3454838' first='Cole' last='Tillman'] and Mendota was a hungry Wheeling squad. They were down early but showed plenty of grit to get back into the game. I was particularly impressed by efficient shooting from Jesus Zavala who found the bucket from all three levels for the Wildcats. Outside of Zavala, there were many contributions from forward Rahmeer Robinson who displayed tons of physicality driving to the rim and, also stretched the floor and buried a contested three pointer. 6'3" SF Matthew Ansong has potential with this group with the length and versatility he provides. But the name to watch is Jesus Zavala this season.

Here's my notebook from early Saturday in Ridgewood. I was there bright and early catching several top teams in action before I saw even more action in the late morning and early afternoon. Here's my top notes.