Boys basketball notes: Kelly-Quintero battles back from 2 ACL injuries, makes inspiring return at Lake Park

Lake Park senior Orion Kelly-Quintero enjoyed a moment he’ll never forget in the Lancers’ 39-33 win over St. Charles North on Tuesday.

Kelly-Quintero, who tore his right ACL in 2023 and his left ACL in 2024, played in his first varsity game after missing his first 48 games.

On his first possession Tuesday after subbing in on a free throw, Kelly-Quintero grabbed an offensive rebound and hit a 3-pointer.

“I got chills,” Lancers coach Billy Pitcher said.

Kelly-Quintero hit four straight free throws later to seal the win, and his teammates gave him a water cup shower in the locker room afterwards.

“Huge, well-deserved celebration,” said Pitcher, adding Kelly-Quintero was a starter and arguably the best player in his class as a freshman and sophomore before the injuries.

“So happy for him for persevering, doing the rehab again and not giving up.”

MSL/DuKane Challenge

Compared to the Mid-Suburban League, the DuKane Conference is still in its infancy.

Seven basketball programs from the 8-team DuKane Conference, established in 2018, will face teams from the 12-member, 62-year-old Mid-Suburban League (established in 1963) during Saturday’s DuKane vs. Mid-Suburban Shootout at Lake Park’s west campus in Roselle.

Action tips off at 9 a.m., with St. Charles North (4-9) vs. Schaumburg (11-6). Additional matchups include St. Charles East (7-8) vs. Hoffman Estates (13-4) at 10:30 a.m.; Wheaton North (7-7) vs. Wheeling (8-8) at 12:30 p.m.; Glenbard North (7-7) vs. Hersey (12-2) at 2 p.m.; Batavia (7-7) vs. Prospect (6-9) at 4:30 p.m.; Wheaton Warrenville South (10-4) vs. Palatine (9-6) at 6 p.m.; and the host Lancers (6-10) vs. Conant (8-7) at 7:30 p.m.

Concessions will be available throughout the day.

Admission is $7 for adults, $3 for students/children over the age of 5. For information, visit Go Fan Admissions.

Holiday leftovers

Competing in last week’s Hinsdale Central Holiday Tournament for the first time, Burlington Central (10-5) placed sixth behind seniors Patrick Shell (14 ppg), Caden West (11.5 ppg), and Jacob Johnson (10.5 ppg).

Coming off a competitive 70-65 second-round loss to the eventual champion Red Devils, the Rockets edged Schaumburg 49-47 in the third round on Johnson’s game-winning jumper with 21 seconds remaining. Johnson, who scored 12 points, sealed the decision with his block and rebound in the final seconds.

Burlington played another down-to-the-wire finish in the 5th-place contest, dropping a 43-41 decision to Maine South, as the Rockets misfired on a 3-pointer and potential tip-in at the buzzer. Shell led the Rockets with 11 points, while Johnson added 10 points and 12 rebounds.

The Rockets visit Huntley Friday night.

Wheaton Academy (10-4) also finished 2-2 in its first foray at Hinsdale Central, coming back from a 64-53 third-round loss to Oswego East to defeat Morgan Park 57-48.

Sam Swoboda led the Warriors with 18 points, while Tyler Smith and Sam Thomas added 13 and 11 points, respectively.

Hayden Schroeder averaged 22 points per game in 3 contests for the Warriors, who put their 2-0 Chicagoland Christian Conference mark on the line Friday night against St. Francis.

St. Charles East, which lost a 49-43 nonconference decision to Marmion (9-7) Saturday, won its last 2 games at Hinsdale Central – 56-36 over St. Rita and 67-42 over Plainfield East.

Sam Tisch, who averaged 10.3 points in 4 tourney games, scored 17 points against St. Rita, while Gavin Szerlong tallied a team-high 14 points against Plainfield East. Marco Klebosits added a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Andrew Wolfsmith had 11 points.

Marmion received a 17-point effort from Joey Kramer against the Saints, while junior Ali Tharwani, who earned all-tournament honors at Plano, added 14 points.

Metea Valley (9-5) tied for fifth place in the large school division at last week’s State Farm Classic in Bloomington.

The Mustangs finished 2-1, sandwiching wins over Normal West (61-27) and Oswego (77-59) around a second-round loss to Rock Island (65-58).

Tyler Miller scored a team-high 20 points with five 3-pointers against Oswego, supported by Tre Watkins (18 points) and Dominic Smith (10 points).

Miller added 18 points, including four 3-pointers, against Oswego, while Watkins and Khalil Jones chipped in with 14 and 12 points, respectively.

Led by all-tournament pick Luca Carbonaro, Wheaton Warrenville South captured the consolation championship at the State Farm Classic. Carbonaro poured in a team-high 32 points, hitting six 3-pointers, during the Tigers’ 53-51 win over Dunlap.

Carbonaro, a senior guard, scored 79 points in 4 games, averaging 5 assists and 3 steals.

Brady Goken, Drew Eger, and Zach Rogers also contributed for the Tigers, who finished 3-1.

The Tigers host Lake Park Friday.

Addison Trail (8-7) senior guard Luke Smith continues to pile up milestone achievements.

Smith, named to the 6-member, all-tournament team at the State Farm Classic, surpassed the 2,000-point mark for his 4-year varsity career during the Blazers’ 83-76 loss to Dunlap on Dec. 29.

He scored 26 points with four 3-pointers against Dunlap, becoming the 163rd leading scorer in IHSA history.

Smith, who averaged 24 points in 3 games at the State Farm Classic, began the 2025 portion of the season with a 40-point performance during the Blazers’ 75-69 win over Conant in Saturday’s WSC-MSL Challenge.

Aurora Christian (10-4) finished with a 1-2 mark in the small school division at the State Farm Classic.

Junior Asa Johnson scored a team-high 17 points with three 3-pointers in the Eagles’ 56-50 loss to Minonk Fieldcrest last week.

The Eagles, who host Harvest Christian (6-11) Saturday, had 4 players reach double figures, paced by sophomore Preston Morel’s 17 points, during their 61-46 second-round win over Stanford Olympia.

Jacob Baumann and Johnson each added 11 points, while Joe DeCort had 10 points.