With Christmas getting closer, week 4 was jam packed with some standout prospects and great matchups. Conference play is starting to heat up and I was all over the Chicagoland area catching four games in four days. Here are the places I went and the games that I saw.
December 12, 2017
Libertyville 65 Lake Forest 60 OT
On Tuesday night, Libertyville survived Lake Forest in an overtime victory, 65-60. The Wildcats had big contributions from John Steinhaus, who led the team with 22 points. Drew Peterson had some clutch shots down the stretch, including an ankle breaker that lead to a clutch 3. He finished with 17 points, while Chase Eyre added 12 points. The Scouts were led by Ben Gibson (22 pts) and Sean Trkla (16 pts) in the loss.
Experience: Decent sized gym. Easy to figure out the school. LHS had a parking crew directing traffic and assigning spots which was a first for me this year. Staff was very friendly and welcoming. Coolest programs I’ve seen all year, neat to see some of the local sponsors listed. Kind of slow getting out of the parking lot with only one exit. Highly recommend attending a game here.
December 13, 2017
Uplift 80 Von Steuben 70
Uplift was a winner on Wednesday night as they took down Von Steuben on the road by a score of 80-70. Toraze Dobbs lead the way for the Titans with 20 points. Off the bench, Tavion Underwood added 11 points and Markese Jacobs chipped in 10 points, including an alley-oop dunk in the second half. The Panthers had 2 players with 20+ points, including Dre Wright (24 pts) and Ayo Ajiboye (23 pts).
Experience: Tight gym on the second floor. Had lots of character. Great turnout from the student body, which packed the gym quickly. Conveniently located near Kimball off of the Brown Line. Took me about 5 min to walk to the school. Not a lot of parking. Didn’t provide any rosters which made my job tough.
December 14, 2017
Rochelle Zell Jewish 74 Round Lake 60
Rochelle Zell took down Round Lake by a score of 74-60. A total team effort for the Tigers as they had 4 players put up double digit numbers in the victory. Grant Primer (19 pts), Brian Silverstein (13 pts), Sammy Vayngart (12 pts), and Max Pivo (11 pts) were the leading scorers for RZJHS. Round Lake had big contributions from Lucas Hollingsworth (21 pts) and Chris Pierre (14 pts), who showed off some range from the 3-point line. This win for the Tigers extended their hot start on the season to 8-0.
Experience: By far the most welcoming school I’ve been to this season. It was great to meet Coach Dello and his staff. Took care of everything I needed. Gym is small, but very comfortable. It was recently renovated. Conveniently located near the highway. RZJHS does both the U.S. and Israeli National Anthem before the varsity game. Would have loved to see a rivalry game here against Ida Crown. The Tigers can play, check them out.
December 15, 2017
Lyons Township 43 Hinsdale Central 40
The Lions defended their home court on Pack the Place Night, beating Hinsdale Central by a score of 43-40. It was a tight game throughout. The Red Devils had a chance at the end to tie the game and send it into overtime, but it just didn’t go their way. Lyons Township was led by Senior Tyrese (15 pts) who had 8 points in the 4th quarter. Lazarius Williams also added 12 point in the LT victory. Hinsdale Central was led by Trevor Hamilton (12 pts) and Matt Rush (8 pts).
Experience: Has to be the biggest high school gym I’ve been in all year. Even on Pack the Place night there was still plenty of room for fans. Unbelievable turnouts from both LT and Hinsdale Central student body. This made for an electric atmosphere. About a 2 min walk from the LaGrange Stone Ave. Metra station. The North Campus has a ton of character, and is right near downtown LaGrange. A must see for high school basketball fans.
Later on this week I will release a preview for some of the upcoming Christmas Tournaments that are around the area. Be sure to click on the icons at the top of the homepage and follow me on Twitter and Instagram if you already haven't. If you want to see more pictures from last week, they are on my Instagram page.