Ridgewood Live Event: Teddy's Sunday Notebook (Part 2)

Kenwood Displays a Ton of Athleticism Against H-F The athleticism on display at the Kenwood v. Homewood-Flossmor game was terrific. It was Kenwood’s [player_tooltip player_id="1385293" first="Bryce" last="Heard"] who had the hottest start. He hit three quick 3’s and a got down on the floor for a loose ball. He didn’t stop there, knocking down several more shots from beyond the arc throughout the game. His quickness and decision making were terrific. He made great plays for his teammates throughout the game to go along with a stellar scoring performance. Then, Kenwood’s Calvin Robbins and H-F’s [player_tooltip player_id="1285492" first="Lee" last="Marks"] exchanged monster jams. Both have great bounce. Calvin Robbins showed great athleticism in the low bock. He squares up well and can find many unique ways to get baskets inside. He finished home a lob in the final minutes of the opening half. On defense, he had a blocked shot attempt with his hand landing halfway up the backboard. Thats probably the highest vertical I’ve seen at a live event. Kenwood led 31-23 at halftime. Chris Riddle had three inside finishes to start the 2nd half. Slammed his third one in with authority to give the Broncos a 17 point lead. He made another great finish in the final 5 minutes, slashing down the lane with the ball. Senior Big Man [player_tooltip player_id="1113515" first="Solomon" last="Mosley"] threw down a lob in the final minute and grabbed a couple more tough boards. He dunked one more time in the final seconds to win 61-45.   [player_tooltip player_id="1048375" first="Nik" last="Polonowski"] Leads the Way for Lyons Despite the loss, Lyons looked really good against Simeon. The headliner is 2023 W Nick Polonowski. He put on a show from downtown with several 3-pointers to make it a contest. Steve Parham counted at least 7 of them, as he truly lit it up. Polonowski didnt hit his first 3-pointer against De La Salle until the final minute of the first half. But there was mo much more he did to impress me.Polonowski showed off his athleticism with a dunk straight off the tip. He boxed out well and grabbed two offensive boards early and put back one of them. Polonowski found more scoring opportunities in the 2nd half with another 3-pointer early on. Other players stepped up too. Guard Louis Kaminski hut two threes and Forward Carter Reid finished some difficult baskets in the paint. He also showed some excellent hustle and saved a ball from going out. He also had a put-back layup in the 2nd half. Forward [player_tooltip player_id="1215292" first="Graham" last="Smith"] moved well in the paint, and always looked to make the extra pass. He converted a really strong and-one over two meteor defenders towards the end of the opening half. De La Salle 2023 F [player_tooltip player_id="1113514" first="Evan" last="Jackson"] has a smooth pull-up jumper. Knocked down two midrange shots in the opening minutes and spaced out well. He made two more jump shots over Polonowski with a turnaround fadeaway and a pull-up jumper. Forcing difficult shots on defense. Jackson hit a 3 to begin the 2nd half. But they still lost.   Rice Plays Team Basketball to Down Niles North There was a lot I looked from several players who stepped up for Brother Rice. Kahlil Ross drew two fouls for free throws and hit a bucket down low. He was great at crashing the glass and gave the crusaders several second-chance opportunities.v2024 F [player_tooltip player_id="1373444" first="Zavier" last="Fitch"] is a promising forward who impressed early. He forced lots of difficult shots and found several scoring opportunities in the paint. A new name I liked from Rice was 2025 G Marcos Gonzalez. He displayed some nice ball-handling skills and broke a kid’s ankles. He also showed some great vision and got his teammates involved for a lot of baskets. I counted at least 4-5 assists in the opening half. [player_tooltip player_id="1436161" first="Cale" last="Cosme"] made some nice plays at the end of the opening half with a fast-break steal and layup, along with two assists. [player_tooltip player_id="1048307" first="Ahmad" last="Henderson"] got going in the 2nd half with an assist in transition to Gonzales and a 3-pointer. He later stole a ball off an inbound for an easy layup. Most of Rice’s baskets in the 2nd half were off assists. They did an excellent job of spacing out and it was easy for them to find open players. Ross, Cosme, and Henderson all hit shots late. Rice would win 63-46   Latin Has a Really Nice Name to Watch This was the first time I watched a team from the Rockford Area or the Independent School League play this summer. Senior PG [player_tooltip player_id="1431502" first="Ethan" last="Andre"] headlines the Belvedere North roster. He opened the game with a 3-pointer, and hit another one a few minutes later. Latin 2024 PG Nick Rotter has a nice start for the Romans, with a blocked shot, assist, and a basket in the paint. But the player whoatood out the most was Latin Guard Ryan Mbouombouo. He’s is a lengthy 6’3" guard who found a variety of buckets in the paint. The first one was off a steal, and he filled the lane on a fast-break for an easy layup. His third basket came off an offensive board. Latin had a lead at this point. But another 3-pointer by Andre kept the Thunder in the game. Mbouombouo stayed hot with two more driving layups and an assist in transition. He was the first player to hit double-figures. Mbouombouo made anoter nice feed to a cutting Quinlan Smith in the paint. He scored his 14th point of the game in the closing seconds of the first half, as latin held a 30-22 lead. [player_tooltip player_id="1431502" first="Ethan" last="Andre"] did an excellent job getting his teammates even more involved in the 2nd half. He made three quick assists to begin the 2nd half, which got Belvedere North back into the game. But Mbouombouo found six more points to keep Latin ahead. On defense, he defected lots of passes and was a force on the boards. Andre hit his 4th triple of the game with 4 mins to go. But they were still down 9. A couple more buckets by Mbouombouo out the game out of reach. He ended with 28 points and was a force around the paint. He’s got the potential to be a special player if he develops a 3-pt shot.