Sophomore Watson Drops 32 in Thornwood Win over Brother Rice

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>***Use Code “BLACKFRIDAY2025” for 50% off your annual subscription THIS WEEK ONLY***</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We kicked off the season with a contest at the Riverside Brookfield tournament between Thornwood and Brother Rice.&nbsp; It was a really fun contest with a ton of prospects on both sides that went to OT as Brother Rice tied it with three seconds left.&nbsp; Thornwood's sophomore guards were just too much though as they won 80-75.&nbsp; We dive into the game and prospects here!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Thornwood 2028 Backcourt Ready for Primetime</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last year we saw flashes from Thornwood's young guards.&nbsp; They made a step forward during the summer.&nbsp; In their first game of the season against Brother Rice they were ready to go!&nbsp; Sophomore's [player_tooltip player_id='2877539' first='Lester' last='Watson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2879381' first='Mekhi' last='Young'] are a pair of point guards to watch out for from the south suburbs!&nbsp; Watson is a plus shooter from three draining multiple at the beginning of the game.&nbsp; Consistently got in the lane pretty much whenever he wanted for floaters or kicking out to shooters.&nbsp; Finishes with acrobatics around defenders.&nbsp; Down the stretch he made every key shot with a trio of late threes including one in OT.&nbsp; Pushed in transition.&nbsp; Got whatever he wanted!&nbsp; Watson had 32 points in the game.&nbsp; Young is a long and rangy guard that was active on the defensive end putting pressure on his opponent.&nbsp; Offensively he had multiple mid-range jumpers along with a super impressive shot fake, spin move, into a step through layup that went down in the second quarter.&nbsp; Slick ball handler that can create for others and really likes to get in that mid-range to do his damage. In this game Young had 12 points.&nbsp; Credit to veteran 2026 guard Jordan Jones on this squad as well as he was the third in the guard rotation that played a key roll.&nbsp; Tough kid that can play on and off the ball scoring from multiple levels and sneaking in on the glass.&nbsp; Makes winning plays as he had 22 points&nbsp; Going to be a nice small college prospect.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Front Court Does Dirty Work for Thornwood</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The guards did all the flashy stuff, but a pair of power forwards in 2027 6'5” Antwaun Sims and senior 6'4” Godwin Okorie were both active on the glass throughout the night.&nbsp; Sims showed promise as a broad shouldered and long armed big man that swatted shots, high pointed rebounds, and scored when opportunities presented themselves.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>First Look at Salauskas in High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It is unique to have a player that has been in Illinois his whole high school career be ranked in the top 30 for over a year and making his high school debut as a junior.&nbsp; That is the case with Brother Rice big man [player_tooltip player_id='2455406' first='Kevinas' last='Salkauskas'].&nbsp; The 6'7” five man was at Stagg, but never played with his high school team despite making a name at camps and on the grassroots circuit.&nbsp; What did we see from him in his opener with Brother Rice?&nbsp; He came off the bench to start the game and banged in a three right away.&nbsp; Showcased what we have seen during the summer which is his strong frame allows him to be a good area rebounder.&nbsp; Scored on a couple cuts to the hoop and passed it well finishing with 10 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brother Rice Has the Pieces</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With a new coach and several new players it is going to take some time for Brother Rice to get to where they need, but the talent is there to contend in the Catholic League.&nbsp; In addition to Salkauskas we liked what they got out of [player_tooltip player_id='2823126' first='Joseph' last='Niego'].&nbsp; The big man played more on the perimeter than we had previously seen out of him.&nbsp; Reverse layups, mid-range jumpers, floaters, and hit a three to send the game to OT.&nbsp; Had a quick post move in the extra session for 13 points.&nbsp; Adam McBreaty is a sharp shooting lefty wing that can knock down shots, but we also liked how he posted up scoring on sweeping shots and spin moves for 8 points.&nbsp; Class of 2027 point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2455377' first='Uriah' last='Davis'] will be important for this squad.&nbsp; Quiet start, but he got it rolling in the second half.&nbsp; Quickness and speed when attacking.&nbsp; Acrobatic finisher and active defender that had 14 points.&nbsp; Their other point guard 2027 Aiden Henderson put his name on the map.&nbsp; Younger brother of former Brother Rice standout Ahmad Henderson is a 5'10” junior that plays with tenacity always making the winning play.&nbsp; Several floaters, hit the glass for a guard, and brought toughness netting 16 points.&nbsp; Two guard [player_tooltip player_id='2398368' first='Charlie' last='Wizgird'] is a good small college prospect at 6'2” that rebounded in traffic and scored with downhill takes for 8 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->