Mike’s Monday Night Notebook

Monday was another night full of invites, shootouts, and tournaments throughout Illinois during the post Thanksgiving Week. PHI took in a few games from 3 sections of the state. We first watched the Southern part of Illinois in the small schools division at the Martinsville Bluestreak Tip-Off. We then switched over to what ended up being the game of the night at the InterCity Shootout in Central Illinois between Bloomington Central Catholic and Normal University. Finally we made our way up north to the 14th Annual Bernie Wilkie Classic hosted by Aurora Christian. Here are the final scores by quarter of these games.   Robinson: 18, 38, 55, 71 Cisne: 10, 22, 36, 40 Bloomington Central Catholic: 17, 39, 69, 76 Normal University: 26, 37, 65, 79 Illinois Math & Science Academy: 17, 33, 43, 66 St. Edward: 9, 19, 37, 49     Let's take a look at some players who showed great impressions throughout this evening's contests.    Clears space with a strong frame in the low post. Guards did a lot of the heavy lifting tonight as he consumes a lot of attention in the paint and opens up areas where he's not located. Has poised hands on the catch and runs the floor well for his size. Rebounded it at a solid rate reading the ball well off the rim. Received all tournament selection and will continue to develop over the next 2 years.     As a true freshman played heavy minutes in this game. Works well in transition. Quick guard that took it coast to coast himself multiple times through defensive traffic. Court vision is there to find openings ahead for pitch ahead passes. Has a good knack for anticipating the next play. Drove it hard to the hole and found a teammate underneath after drawing help side. Digs at the ball on drives defensively. Will warrant attention throughout the year.     Reminds me of an old timer's game that really knows how to use his body. Can get a defender on his hip in the low post to spin off of and make a move or start from 10 feet and work his way down low with his back to the basket. Played bully ball down low throughout the entire game. End of quarter off of SLOB action he pinned a guy on the front side of him while passer through it over defender's head while he caught it and scored before the buzzer. High IQ decision making skills that makes the game look simple. Knows how to read defenses with passing skills. Defensively played against the 1-5 spots because he has the size and quickness to do it. Competed tough throughout to gut out a hard fought W.     Cuts hard off the ball and spaces good on drives. Team runs some double screen action for him and he comes off ready to fire away. Did it twice throughout tonight's game with some big time shots. Hands and feet are ready for kickouts when opportunities are there. Had him down for 4 3's tonight. Doesn't need much space to find nothing but the nylon from beyond the arc.     Made some big time takes in heavy moments of the game to provide when team needed it the most. Has a good handle for his size who can play in the 2, 3, or 4 spots at the next level depending what you need. Versatile to score it at all 3 levels. Really came a live in the 3rd quarter with a tip in off a miss and a couple spot up 3's from the wing. Tough to stop once he gets going.     My player of the evening goes to Keshaun. Team scored 76 points and around 80% of those came off his hands either as points or assists. Filled it up for atleast 30 himself Was faceguard multiple times and still got loose from defenders to find his spots. With 5:50 left in the third he took it through all 5 defenders splitting the defense and slammed it home one handed. Next possession he walked into a 3 splashing it home for an and1. That was only 1 of 7 3's beyond the arc. Tough to keep in front. Knows how to get angles on defenders to get his foot ahead. Matched the intensity of the game with high energy and enjoys residing in those moments.     4 man that utilized gaps in the zone to make his mark. Caught it on the low post or elbow and went to work. Consistently got into the teeth of the D to score or consume contact to get to the stripe. Has a broad frame and uses it to advantage. Found openings for kickouts when zone collapsed. Impressed with his toughness to frequently get to the cup.     Helped team make a push twice in the second half to almost tie things back up. Consistent leader that found some rhythm from 3 throughout the night. Had him down for 3 3's total. Has a steady trigger shot and release. Initiated turnovers defensively that turned into fast break points to garner some energy for his team. Possesses good court awareness and handling abilities.

Monday was another night full of invites, shootouts, and tournaments throughout Illinois during the post Thanksgiving Week. PHI took in a few games from 3 sections of the state. We first watched the Southern part of Illinois in the small schools division at the Martinsville Bluestreak Tip-Off. We then switched over to what ended up being the game of the night at the InterCity Shootout in Central Illinois between Bloomington Central Catholic and Normal University. Finally we made our way up north to the 14^th Annual Bernie Wilkie Classic hosted by Aurora Christian. Here are the final scores by quarter of these games.