Cook boys basketball holiday preview
The Christmas holiday season just doesn’t bring joy and wonder to those around us. It brings the bounce of a basketball for 14 hours a day across the state of Illinois.
Here is where Cook area teams will be pounding the court during their holidays:
Hardwood Classic at Wheeling
Dec. 27-30
Area teams: Buffalo Grove, Fremd, Maine West, Prospect, St. Viator, Wheeling
Outlook: This is the 45th year for one of the great holiday traditions. It is also one of the great area battles featuring eight Northwest Cook teams in the field along with another four from Lake County.
Buffalo Grove (6-5) will open the tournament at 9 a.m. with tournament newcomer Oak Forest. Prospect (8-3), which has been playing very well this season, will have its first-round game against another tournament newcomer, the Whip-Purs from Hampshire.
Maine West (1-8) will take on CSL rival and tournament favorite Glenbrook North at 3:45 p.m. Host Wheeling (4-7) will play Fremd (6-4) at 7:30 and then St. Viator (7-4) will take on Streamwood in the opening day’s nightcap at 8:45.
Hinkle Holiday Tournament at Jacobs
Dec 23, December 26-28
Area teams: Barrington, Elk Grove, Hoffman Estates
Outlook: The Hinkle gets an early start in its 23rd annual tournament. And a really early start if you are from Barrington (6-2) and Elk Grove (1-9). Those two teams match up in the opening round this Saturday at 10:30 a.m. -- after a Friday night game for both teams. Hoffman Estates (7-3) opens its play at 3 p.m. against Cary-Grove.
Barrington was the runner-up in 2021, then beat Hoffman Estates in the third-place game last year. Elk Grove moved from the Tosh tournament to Jacobs this year.
Grayslake Central is the 2022 defending champion in the tournament after beating Crystal Lake South in last year’s final. The tournament went from pool play to a standard 16-team tournament a couple years ago. Waubonsie Valley is the top seed in the tournament.
Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic
Dec. 27-30
Area teams: Maine South, Schaumburg
Outlook: Schaumburg moves over from the Tosh Classic to join Maine South, which has been at Hinsdale Central since the tournament’s inception in 2015.
Schaumburg (9-3) will get a pure taste of the Hinsdale Central gym when the Saxons take on the host Red Devils in the opening round at 5:15 p.m. And if you are a Northwest suburban Cook fan, you can stay for Maine South (7-4) and Lane Tech which begins at 7 p.m. Maine South was the consolation champ in 2022.
Brother Rice is the top seed in a tournament field that also features DePaul Prep and Marian Catholic
Jack Tosh Holiday Classic at York
Dec. 26-30
Area teams: Conant, Palatine, Rolling Meadows
Outlook: The Tosh will be in its 50th year, but only the 49th with competition (2021 was canceled). It should be another terrific tournament with 32 teams playing in two gyms. The tournament is a full work week with the top four teams playing on a fifth consecutive day.
The opening round features a pair of intriguing matchups involving area teams. The past two defending champions, Rolling Meadows (8-1) from last year and Glenbard West from 2021, will square off at 10 a.m. Another great first-round matchup features Conant (5-5), which has struggled some this season but always plays well at the Tosh, against one-loss Glenbard North at 6:30 p.m. Palatine (8-3), which features Connor May, who recently committed to Washington University, takes on Lake Forest at 9 a.m.
Metamora, defending Class 3A state champion and the first team outside the Chicago area to play in the Tosh tournament, is one of the favorites. Downers Grove North, which finished fourth in the state in Class 4A last year, will also be a threat.
Maine East Holiday Tournament
Dec. 27-30
Area teams: Leyden, Maine East
Outlook: Leyden (9-2) and Maine East (7-4) are the only teams from the area in the tournament. They are also the top two seeds and could collide in Saturday’s title game.
Pekin Insurance Holiday Classic at Pekin
Dec 27-29
Area team: Hersey
Outlook: This is the 58th annual tournament and Hersey is the only Cook team in the tournament. The Huskies (3-7) finished third last year, their highest finish in the 25 years they have been part of the field. Their road will be difficult right off the bat as they face third-seeded Lake Park in the opening round at 3:45 p.m.