Pontiac Holiday Tournament

PONTIAC -- The Pontiac faithful were expecting a showdown between two of the top-rated players in the state.

Brandon Paul and Iman Schumpert more than delivered.

The respective stars of the boys basketball teams for Warren and Oak Park went toe-to-toe -- and their combined 70 points was one of many story lines unveiled in the fourth quarterfinal of the Pontiac Holiday Tournament on Friday night.

When the mentally grinding and physically exhausting game finally came to an end, Warren advanced to the semifinals with a 67-65 double-overtime victory.

The Devils (7-3) will meet two-time defending Class AA state champion Simeon for the fourth straight year today at 2:30 p.m. in the second semifinal.

"Yes, this definitely was the biggest game I've ever played in," Paul said after scoring a career-high 36 points to lead the Devils in the 40-minute slugfest.

Schumpert, the Huskies' Georgia Tech-bound star guard, did everything possible to aid the Oak Park cause, scoring 34 points in defeat.

Schumpert forced both extra sessions, tip-dunking a missed layup with 52 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the score at 52-52.

"At that point of the game I was thinking, 'Don't take any chances," Schumpert said of his spectacular dunk.

The Schumpert putback with force was a fitting way to end regulation between the two teams in general and the two standouts in particular.

Paul and Schumpert dueled throughout the first four quarters, playing a symbolic game of H-O-R-S-E in fundamental respects to the delight of the crowd.

There were 3-pointers raining from downtown augmented by slashing moves to the bucket, not to mention 3-point plays by each in equally compelling fashion.

Warren took its first lead of the game when Taylor Erbach scored in final seconds before halftime to give the Devils a 27-26 lead at the break.

Then Paul caught fire in the third quarter.

The Devils' junior, who has orally committed to Illinois, drained a 3-pointer and kissed home a bank shot on the final two possessions of third quarter to give Warren a 48-41 lead entering the fourth.

"Obviously, their young man (Paul) is a great player," Oak Park coach Al Allen said. "He put the wood to us the first three quarters."

But Oak Park (10-5) which had its five-game winning streak snapped, held Warren scoreless from the field in the fourth quarter to regain the momentum.

Paul and Schumpert guarded each other all night in the teams' respective man defense, and it further underscored the drama.

"It was hard guarding him," said Paul. "He is so long and drives to the basket, or pulls up with the great jumper."

David Duncan scored 9 of his 11 points in the two overtimes for Warren, however, to negate early Oak Park leads in both extra sessions.

Scott Geseke gave Warren a 57-56 lead with 19 seconds left in the first overtime, only to see Schumpert split two at the line 15 seconds later to force double overtime.

Schumpert had two more 3-pointers in the second overtime, but his bid for a third at the buzzer--and outright win--banked too hard.

"I wanted to challenge Brandon, and he met it in every possible manner," Warren coach Chuck Ramsey said. "He was exhausted and caught his second and third wind a couple of times."

Schaumburg 56, Jacksonville 42: Schaumburg is back on track.

The Saxons' defensive effort against Jacksonville (5-8) in consolation play at the Pontiac Holiday Tournament was as consistent as it was complete.

Schaumburg (9-4) erupted to a 20-point lead after the first quarter and cruised to a 56-42 victory.

"Our kids came out very focused," Schaumburg coach Bob Williams said.

Brandon Bolger directed the Saxons' early assault, scoring 11 of his game-high 15 points in the opening quarter.

Jacksonville didn't reach double figures until 12-plus minutes of the first half had elapsed.

"The first thing we wanted to accomplish was defense, and once we did that everything else fell into place," Bolger said. "We have been trying to learn from all our mistakes from last year."

Schaumburg will face Curie (5-3) in the consolation semifinals at 8 a.m. today. The winner plays for the consolation title at 4 p.m. and the loser is eliminated.

"Playing a city team is great for us," Williams said as the Saxons try for their second straight consolation crown.

Cully Payne had an off-day scoring, with 9 points but the junior compensated with his floor play, leading all players with 8 assists.

George Kalousek (10 points) and Blake Mueller were beneficiaries as the Saxons led 51-29 after three.

-- Kevin McGavin

Curie 60, West Aurora 51: The hushed tones emanating from the locker room did not require amplification.

It was unfamiliar territory indeed for the West Aurora boys basketball team.

For the first time in what is believed to be close to two decades, the Blackhawks were two-and-out at the Pontiac Holiday Tournament.

"I can't remember (the last time it happened)," said West Aurora coach Gordie Kerkman after Curie sent the Blackhawks packing early with a come-from-behind 60-51 victory Friday morning in consolation play.

West Aurora lost its second straight game after opening the year with 10 consecutive wins.

West Aurora was short-handed when starters Tyler Thompson and Theo Hicks were suspended for violating team rules Thursday evening, but the team opened the game in impressive fashion.

The Blackhawks closed out the first quarter with a 17-8 run that featured a 7-point run from seldom-used forward Malcolm Graham.

"Sometimes it can be fool's gold when you shoot the ball like that in the first quarter," Kerkman said.

The Blackhawks' torrid pace was halted in the second

quarter as the Condors intensified their defensive presence by changing defenses.

"We started out in a 2-3 zone," Curie coach Mike Oliver said. "We were leaving guys wide open (in the first quarter)."

Curie (5-3) switched to a man-to-man, and West Aurora was limited to single-digit production in the middle two quarters.

"We started contesting all their jump shots and cutting off the drives," Oliver said.

But Markus Cocroft scored the last 4 points of the second quarter to give West Aurora a 29-24 lead at halftime.

The third quarter was another defensive-minded affair, but Curie guard Donovan Foster, a Detroit recruit who led all players with 25 points, gave the Condors a 38-36 lead after three.

Jamal Blackmond paced West Aurora with 13 points, and the junior had a 3-point field goal and 3-point play late in the third and early in the fourth, respectively, to put Curie behind 39-38.

There were three ties in the ensuing action, but Derrick Johnson returned the advantage to West Aurora with another 3-point play with 2:40 remaining.

But Curie responded with an 11-point burst that West Aurora fueled with turnovers on four consecutive possessions.

Highly-regarded Condors' freshman Wayne Blackshear (16 points) had a 3-point play that extended the Curie lead to 53-49 with 1:23 left.

"We turned the ball over way too much," said Kerkman. "At times I thought we played pretty good."

Cocroft (9 points), Corbin Spearman (8) and Marquis Stewart (7) backed up the team-high performance of Blackmond.

"We just didn't play for four quarters," Blackmond said. "Coach always says that if you don't play for four quarters, it's going to be hard to win the game."

-- Kevin McGavin