Chi-Town Tipp-Off Top Performers Friday Night – Location Zone250

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Went to the small venue to jump start this tournament and was not disappointed. There were several players I would list as ballers and a couple of teams that got after it and played tough. There was one performance that stood out above the rest that really might have set the tone for the event and 15u division. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1561877' first='Tyler' last='Michalski'] | 5'8" | G | 2026 Martin Luther HS | Chapman Academy South</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If this past NCAA tournament proved anything is that there are ball players that can play under the height of six foot. At least, with his performance Friday night this prospect made that statement as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>His team got off to a rough start, down 14 early to a strong Foundation Athletics team. But this Chapman club battled back, behind several kids efforts and started to apply defensive pressure &amp; controlling the boards. It was in the second half especially where Michalski made his presence felt. In one stretch he hit 2 buckets and those in attendance started to take notice. He then proceeds to hit a corner three. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But there was more. As the game got tighter the prospect just started being involved in several critical plays. Two steals that lead to buckets, a nifty assist setting a score up for a teammate, and a rebound to boot. The kid was just playing faster than anyone and with a higher intensity. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To cap this all off were two plays that almost took the night. The first was a 3 with 7 seconds left to tie the game. Then after a foul shot by the opponent, came a 3/4 court throw, it looked like a winner but hits the front on the rim and bounces away. Oh, for two more inches and we might've had the shot of the tournament. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chapman drops the game in overtime to a tough Foundation Athletics who had a few top performances in their own right but what a battle we were treated to in the first night. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Quick Hitters On Other Players That Made An Impact:</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jayden Sidney 6'0" G 2026 Curie HS &amp; Aquafina 2026</strong>: first game of the night goes for a cool smooth 16 pts in a team victory. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ramie Shelton 6'1" G 2026 Hillcrest HS &amp; Aquafina 2026:</strong> 16 points including a couple 3 balls to tie his teammate for game highs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tony Balaganayi 6'2" W 2027 Palatine HS &amp; Ignite</strong>: playing the game correctly, passing rebounding hustling. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Evan Downer 6'4" W 2027 Palatine HS &amp; Ingnite</strong>: thought he showed some skill plus he was stronger than most for his age group. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Charlie Pomis 6'1" W 2027 Hersey HS &amp; Ignite: </strong>might've led all scorers for the night at this facility, poured in 20+ in this one. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2823126' first='Joe' last='Niego'] 6'3" W 2026 Brother Rice &amp; Mike Glennon Elite:</strong> Game high 14 points in a lopsided victory for his teammate &amp; looked good in the performance. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->