Riverside-Brookfield: Teddy’s Saturday Morning Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another great day at Riverside-Brookfield covering several more teams on the slate in Riverside. Here's my notebook from the morning action. An afternoon notebook will be out later.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>A look at Evanston</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Evanston was fresh off a strong performance and a win against DePaul Prep Friday before I watched them against Fremd. Right away, it was a freshman that stood out on Evanston. That's 6'5" F Layton Jones. As a starter, he excelled at boxing out in the paint and crashing the boards, while utilizing some smooth post moves on the low block. Even adding a couple blocked shots as the game progressed and finishing a bit more through contact on the inside. [player_tooltip player_id='2531970' first='Ben' last='Ojala']'s playmaking was also quite impressive. Dishing out several assists through tight windows in this game. The Wildkits opened the game up in the 2nd half with [player_tooltip player_id='3427250' first='Tate' last='Schroeder'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2125615' first='Dion' last='Lane'] leading the charge. Schroeder showcased a smooth bounce to his game and added a 3-pointer. Followed up with Lane hitting a three of his own. Layton Jones stayed aggressive on the low block as he picked up several more buckets. The Wildkits took care of business yet again.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Geneva has so much promise</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If there's gonna be a team in the far west suburbs that might make some real noise next season, it could be Geneva. The Vikings put on quite a show against Peoria Richwoods Saturday morning with a variety of contributors. There's a few key sophomores that are impact guys. One of them being 6'0 PG Jonny Udiowood who has an elite burst. As well as [player_tooltip player_id='2369872' first='Cody' last='Rader'], a three sport athlete who does a little bit of everything. Showed up as a key playmaker finding guys cutting off the ball in this one. Then cut to the rim to get a few points of his own. Pushing the lead to 20 by halftime. Senior David Udiowood, Jonny's brother, is the kind of leader you want. He pushes the tempo and also made a ton of plays as a passer and finisher. A smaller, but underrated floor general. On the interior, look out for 6'6" junior [player_tooltip player_id='2532029' first='Riggins' last='Travieso'], a frustrating defender with so much length to his game. Even getting involved quite a bit as a passer. The future is bright!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>New Faces for Loyola and Auburn</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One generation of players for both teams leaves and another enters. For both squads, outside shooting was immaculate to steer with the first seven buckets coming from deep. For Auburn, the playmaking and shot creation came from 5'11 guard [player_tooltip player_id='2125617' first='Donovan' last='Hicks']. But the ramblers had lots of contributors on their end which gave them a key advantage. This was the second time I watched [player_tooltip player_id='2442190' first='Nicholas' last='Konchan'] since returning stateside. He was excellent to start with a top-of-the key 3-pointer and a fastbreak finish. 6'4" guard Sammy Fuller is a huge presence with his physicality and does bits of everything. Including sharp abilities as a playmaker. Loyola remained ahead for much of the game thanks to highly effective shooting from [player_tooltip player_id='2386611' first='Luke' last='Alvarez'], shoring he can hit key buckets from anywhere on the floor. Really took over in the second half with at least four triples to give Loyola a huge advantage. Offense was really solid for Loyola.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Niles North Guards Shine vs R-B</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Niles North was off and running against hosts Riverside-Brookfield. It's a group that plays with a ton of pace, physicality, and grit. There were a variety of contributors. But two guys really stand out. One of them is 6'4" SG [player_tooltip player_id='2834059' first='Aidan' last='Avila']. Showcasing an underrated burst to the rim with outstanding speed up and down the floor. Drawing numerous fouls and converting on lots of tough, physical plays. Footwork on the post was incredibly smooth, too. The other player is [player_tooltip player_id='3669950' first='Collin' last='Tobin']. Tobin's a 6'2" athletic point guard with a high IQ and elite playmaking. Another tempo-setter that also makes a lot of plays for you off the ball. Vikings rolled.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->