Brunson off to fine start at Villanova

Eight months after leading Stevenson to the Class 4A state championship, Jalen Brunson is at it again.

This time, he helped lead his collegiate team to a regular-season championship.

No. 8-ranked Villanova capped off its third consecutive perfect November with a third straight in-season tournament title.

The Wildcats defeated Georgia Tech 69-52 to claim the NIT Season Tipoff championship.

Guess who earned the Most Outstanding Player award?

Brunson took home the honor after scoring 13 points to help lead the Wildcats to the win over Georgia Tech at Barclays Center.

In the two games played there, the rookie from Lincolnshire averaged 15.5 points.

Teammate Josh Hart, a junior, also scored 13 against Georgia Tech.

"I'm really proud of our team," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright on the school's website. "That was a good win against a really well-balanced, tough Georgia Tech team. I didn't think we played our best here but I think the two teams we played here did a great job of being physical with us and taking us out of our rhythm.

"We battled through that and that's why I'm proud. It was hard to run our stuff. Josh and Jalen did a really good job of getting to the rim and making plays for us. I'm proud of our defense."

• Rice freshman Connor Cashaw (Stevenson) is averaging 6.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in seven games for the Owls (2-5).

• Loras College 6-foot-7 freshman forward Will McClaughry (Lake Zurich) had 4 poitns and 3 rebounds in a 104-67 win over Eureka.

Helping hands

Oakton Community College men's basketball forward Mamadou Diarra was apprehensive at first when head coach Mick Reuter asked the team to participate in a service project to provide assistance making fleece blankets for infants in celebration of International Children's Day.

"I have to admit I was hesitant when coach approached us because I thought we would be knitting," said the 6-4 sophomore from Chicago in a news release from Oakton. "There was no knitting involved, and instead we helped tie ends of blankets. It turned out to be fun and a great bonding experience.

Diarra's team helped complete four of the 32 quilts that the Oakton community finished on Nov. 19.

"The student clubs will decide how to parcel out the quilts, but they will be distributed to needy children in the Chicago area or even across the world," said Oakton Service Learning Coordinator Karen Roth.

"Not everyone is blessed with the opportunities some of us have," said freshman forward Alex Wiewiora of Park Ridge. "Those blankets will go to someone in dire need and we can take pride in the fact that we did something as a group to help those less fortunate."

Reuter said his squad will be involved in future service projects. "We'll continue to be active at the college and in the community," he said. "It's vital for the team to do something for others without expecting anything in return. Helping out in the community is a character-building activity and helps our players become better men overall."

Women's hockey

St. Cloud State senior Katie Fitzgerald (Maine West) was named defensive player of the week in the Women's College Hockey Association.

During St. Cloud State's sweep of Ohio State, she held the Buckeyes to just 3 goals on 60 shots in the series.

Fitzgerald's 57 saves led the WCHA and ranked second nationally while her .950 save percentage was tops among league goaltenders on the week (and second nationally among netminders with the same criteria).

Fitzgerald made 24 saves in a 3-2 victory Friday and 33 stops in a 4-1 triumph, finishing the weekend with a 1.50 goals-against average.

Fitzgerald, a former all-area volleyball player at Maine West, also played softball for the Warriors.

Rugby

The Arlington Stallions Rugby Club will hold its annual sign-up day for the 2016 spring competitive season on Saturday, Dec. 12 from 9 a.m. to noon at Camelot Park, located at 1005 E. Suffield in Arlington Heights. The Stallions offer competitive sides for boys from grades fifth through 12th.

The three-time state champion club is proud of its 11-year history of success and numerous alumni that have carried on to play in college.

Kevin Lydon (Conant, 2012) was recently named team captain of USA Rugby Division 1A semi-finalist Davenport University for its upcoming spring season.

For more information about the Stallions, go to www.arlingtonstallionsrugby.com or call 847-845-4982. 21st Annual

• Please submit Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com.