Ridgewood Live Event: Scotty B’s Saturday Notebook

The Ridgewood Live Event continued on Saturday with a full day of games from 8 AM until 10 PM. We look at the best from the day in Ridgewood Live Event: Scotty B’s Saturday Notebook!   Evanston Impresses with Youth and Transfers Really liked what we saw out of Evanston in a dominant early morning performance. A pair of transfers are going to ignite this squad. [player_tooltip player_id="1279759" first="Hunter" last="Duncan"] coming over from St. Viator as a pass first lead guard that drained pull up threes and dropped dimes. [player_tooltip player_id="1048321" first="Joshua" last="Thomas"] from Stevenson presents size and shot making. Their top prospect is 2023 power forward [player_tooltip player_id="1215286" first="Prince" last="Adams"]. Strong body with good mobility. Rim runner and lob threat. [player_tooltip player_id="1385296" first="Yaris" last="Irby"] brings the youth as a 2025 point guard that pushes the tempo with his quickness.   [player_tooltip player_id="1476085" first="Drew" last="Scharnowski"] Brings In Coaches We caught back to back games from Burlington Central Catholic and their 2023 big man [player_tooltip player_id="1476085" first="Drew" last="Scharnowski"]. Face up four that has good length and a thin frame. Showed flashes of upside with pull up jumpers, athletic finishes above the rim, and running the floor. He had a ton of college coaches checking him out after a week of reeling in offers.   Brother Rice Senior Wing Leads Way in Win Over Kenwood Catholic League power Brother Rice topped Public League power Kenwood 52-48 who was without Ames this weekend. Rising senior [player_tooltip player_id="939074" first="Khalil" last="Ross"] played some of the best basketball we have seen in his career. The long and lanky small forward used his quickness, straight line drives, and transition scoring for a big outing. [player_tooltip player_id="1048307" first="Ahmad" last="Henderson"] had his moments shaking defenders off the bounce and [player_tooltip player_id="1172894" first="Tre" last="Dowdell"] made shots from the perimeter. Class of 2025 shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id="1385293" first="Bryce" last="Heard"] played quite a bit on the ball. Looked smooth with his effortless shooting stroke from mid-range and hit a three as well. Solid defender and mixed in some passing. Kenwood incoming transfer Chris Riddle has all the looks of a top 10 prospect in his return to the state. Physical around the hoop where the 2024 small forward finished with athleticism on slashes. Underrated skill level including his passing.   Simeon Primed for Run At Title Behind Six Seniors The Wolverines look the part of a state title team. They did last year coming up just short and have reloaded again! This team starts with the twin towers of [player_tooltip player_id="1048306" first="Miles" last="Rubin"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1048305" first="Wesley" last="Rubin"]. Miles is an explosive finisher that had it rolling with hook shots, rim runs, and dunks. Wes can really pass it at an elite level. [player_tooltip player_id="939059" first="Jalen" last="Griffith"] is a lead guard that makes everything go with his passing and float game. Their x-factor as a returner is [player_tooltip player_id="1048374" first="Michael" last="Ratliff"] who defends and does all the little things. The two transfer wings that they needed came in the form of top 25 rising senior duo [player_tooltip player_id="939068" first="Sam" last="Lewis"] and [player_tooltip player_id="994687" first="Kaiden" last="Space"]. Lewis and Space bring shot making, strength, transition scoring, and a ton of experience.   Shooting and Size for Rolling Meadows Without Christie we were able to focus on his supporting cast for Rolling Meadows which is stacked with college prospects. Class of 2025 guard Jack Duffer once again drained a ton of threes. Point-center [player_tooltip player_id="1215298" first="Mark" last="Nikolich-Wilson"] is such a high level distributor and skilled five. [player_tooltip player_id="1048317" first="Foster" last="Ogbonna"] is a strong bodied four that shoots it well. Potential top 10 2025 [player_tooltip player_id="1385299" first="Ian" last="Miletic"] knocked down shots from distance.   Rich is the Star But East St. Louis Has Depth East St. Louis 2023 small forward [player_tooltip player_id="939073" first="Macaleab" last="Rich"] is such an explosive wing. He played bully ball on straight takes powering over opponents like defensive backs. Also showed off his athleticism swatting shots and rebounding. Did hit a three. The Flyers are more than just Rich. Starts with [player_tooltip player_id="1215296" first="Damarion" last="Brown"] inside who is a throwback five that is a good finisher and area rebounder. They have a ton of wing depth including [player_tooltip player_id="1373452" first="Robert" last="McCline"], Terrell Scott, and Antwan Robinson to name just a couple.   Pickett Has Dominant Showing for West Aurora Every time I looked over to the court next to me West Aurora 2024 combo guard [player_tooltip player_id="1157226" first="Josh" last="Pickett"] was scoring. Broad shouldered guard that attacks downhill with force along with athleticism to finish in a variety of ways. Sound shooter and brings value playing both on and off the ball.   Moline Tops Whitney Young in Game of the Summer No doubt about it this was the top game of the day as Moline defeated Whitney Young in a 70-62 thriller which saw four of the state’s top nine 2023 prospects. Five man [player_tooltip player_id="989265" first="Owen" last="Freeman"] is a commitment to Iowa that was totally dominant on the interior. Seals for dunks, power moves on the block, plus passer, and rebounded at a super high level. He had 20 points in the win. [player_tooltip player_id="989274" first="Brock" last="Harding"] got an Iowa offer and didn’t take any time to wait before committing earlier in the week. Harding had the ball on a string getting to the rim at will where he made creative layups on the regular looking like Kyrie changing gears and getting the ball up on the rim. He had 17 points. [player_tooltip player_id="989276" first="Grant" last="Welch"] brought perimeter shooting nailing three triples in the win. [player_tooltip player_id="939057" first="Dalen" last="Davis"] also had his A game on Saturday. He dropped 22 points including six triples with many of them coming of the pull up variety. The Dolphins lead guard and top 5 prospect in the rising senior class was feeling it for sure! [player_tooltip player_id="1048324" first="Daniel" last="Johnson"] stepped up in the second half finishing with 14 points as the wing hit a few nice mid-range shots. [player_tooltip player_id="939072" first="Marcus" last="Pigram"] is a strong guard that finished consistently in the paint for 11 points.   Benet Routs Moline in Turnaround Game The very next game Moline had a tough back to back as after they put everything into an emotional win. Then they had to face an outstanding Benet squad. Benet ran over them as they just didn’t have the intensity as they did in the first game. Credit Benet though as they were excellent. Their leader [player_tooltip player_id="1215311" first="Nikola" last="Abusara"] defended all over the floor and played above the rim. One of the more under recruited wings in the senior class. [player_tooltip player_id="1371085" first="Brady" last="Kunka"] is a strong bodied guard that boards and made shots. Liked what Brayden Fagbemi brought to the table as the senior point guard seemed to make key plays one after another.   Lake Forest Tops Hillcrest as 2023 Stars Clash Fun low scoring game here as Lake Forest knocked off a loaded Hillcrest squad 41-38. Everyone knows [player_tooltip player_id="989263" first="Asa" last="Thomas"] is the star for Lake Forest. Excellent size and had to fight for everything he got against the pressure defense and length of Hillcrest. Got to the rim several times along with trips to the line. He hit a couple of threes as well in the win. Tommy Aberle was excellent as the crafty lead guard who finished around the hoop and dished to his teammates including Thomas. [player_tooltip player_id="939051" first="Darrion" last="Baker"] got pushed up to #14 in our most recent ranking and it might not have been high enough. The 2023 power forward defended all over the floor and snatched rebounds in traffic at a super high rate. Explosive finisher that had several big dunks. [player_tooltip player_id="1215285" first="Matthew" last="Moore"] is the other high flyer on their front line. Bouncy offensive rebounder and shows flashes as a three point shooter. [player_tooltip player_id="939078" first="Bryce" last="Tillery"] had his moments as well as a spark plug guard that pushes in the open floor, nails floaters, and hits some key shots.   St. Rita Holds On Despite Romeoville Comeback Fun late night game here as St. Rita scored a 57-53 win over Romeoville. Illini commit [player_tooltip player_id="1157230" first="Morez" last="Johnson"] crashed the offensive glass for an array of put backs and was an absolute monster around the hoop garnering deep post position on the regular. Right handed hook shots and mid-range jumpers. After a slow start his fellow 2024 super star [player_tooltip player_id="1157223" first="Nojus" last="Indrusaitis"] got hot fast! Hit several threes and got out in transition for scores. Showed some of his explosive burst off the bounce in an 18 point outing. Romeoville gave it everything they had in a comeback attempt that was sparked by their 2023 star [player_tooltip player_id="1048315" first="Troy" last="Cicero"]. It started with his defense getting turnovers and taking them the other way for buckets. His backcourt mate [player_tooltip player_id="1158757" first="Meyoh" last="Swansey"] is a 2024 combo guard was on point with his pull up shooting from mid-range and three. [player_tooltip player_id="1313851" first="Aaron" last="Brown"] is a transfer forward that is the perfect x-factor guy for this squad who runs the floor and scored well from 15 feet and in.   Mosby Stands Out in Night Cap Pays to stay until the end! We were the last ones out of the gym and that was to see Perspectives against Carmel. Perspectives transfer 6’7” 2024 power forward [player_tooltip player_id="1373438" first="Kenric" last="Mosby"] caught our attention. He has a long and lanky frame while looking super comfortable shooting it from mid-range, throwing down monster dunks, and swatting shots. Even made several nice passes in their win. Expect a big year out of Mosby!   Quick Hitters Riverside Brookfield 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1170017" first="Arius" last="Alijosius"] lit up the nets for a second consecutive day! The lefty flame thrower drained an array of threes mixing in several slick takes. Loyola 2023 guard [player_tooltip player_id="1056106" first="Alex" last="Engro"] is a strong guard that was in attack mode getting downhill. Should be a nice find at the small college level. Champaign Central 2025 Chris Bush caught our eye with his upside. The 6’5” four man has a clean jumper and bounce. Marian Catholic 2023 shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id="1371065" first="Quentin" last="Jones"] landed a pair of offers after a day where he had a big time showing. Strong and athletic rising senior wing that sliced and diced his way to the rim for buckets. Sacred Heart Griffin 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="989267" first="Jake" last="Hamilton"] saw his stock rise as a junior leading his team to a state championship. On Saturday he was at it again with his crafty scoring game off the bounce and bombing in threes. DePaul Prep 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="1157352" first="Jaylan" last="McElroy"] made an impression again with his athleticism up front. The rising junior four man rebounds in traffic, swats shots, rim runs, and has potential as a jump shooter from 15-18 feet. St. Ignatius 2023 wing [player_tooltip player_id="989270" first="Richard" last="Barron"] took over late to get his team into overtime. Strong bodied rising senior had it rolling late going right at a defense that physically had no answer for him. Then he also hit two clutch threes and secured the rebound in traffic that sent the game to OT.