Who had the top prep basketball performances of the week?
Throughout high school football season, the High Five made a habit of honoring the top performances from the previous week.
Better late than never, we’ll start listing five of the top prep basketball performances each week. The games fly fast and furious during the winter, so apologies if an effort or two gets missed along the way.
Let’s get started.
5. Aidan Bardic, Stevenson
The 6-foot-3 senior joined an illustrious group of Stevenson hoopsters during Friday’s 63-44 North Suburban Conference victory at Libertyville.
Bardic scored 26 points to become the seventh player in program history to surpass the 1,000-point mark. He joins New York Knicks’ star Jalen Brunson, Connor Cashaw, Chris Coleman, Justin Smith, Kenyon Catchings and Eric Roth on the list.
Bardic also had 4 rebounds and 3 assists in the win. In Saturday’s 71-60 win over Prospect, he had 11 points, 5 assists and 3 steals.
4. Alli Linke, Prospect
The Knights stayed unbeaten in the Mid-Suburban East with a huge 47-35 win over Hersey, thanks in much part to their 6-foot-1 junior.
Linke was dynamite while scoring 25 points and grabbing 15 rebounds, pushing the third-year starter closer to becoming the program’s career leader in both categories.
Prospect improved to 8-0 in the MSL East by adding a win over Elk Grove. Linke scored 12 points and added 5 rebounds.
3. Henry Marshall, St. Viator
Marshall had a busy but successful week despite the Lions dropping a game to Marist for their first East Suburban Catholic loss of the season.
The 6-foot-2 senior started the week with 30 and 22 points in the Sterling MLK Classic. Marshall added another 30-point performance in the 59-53 loss to Marist.
Marshall scored 15 points in Saturday’s 48-28 victory over Boylan.
2. Danyella Mporokoso, Waubonsie Valley
No surprise to see this junior on the list.
Mporokoso, who holds double-digit Division I scholarship offers, scored 40 points in a 69-47 victory over Hersey in the 35th annual Coach Kipp Hoopsfest. She also grabbed 11 rebounds and dished 4 assists.
The 5-foot-8 guard added an 18-point game with 7 rebounds and 5 steals in a 67-36 win over District 204 rival Metea Valley.
1. Rico D’Alessandro, Maine South
The Hawks went 2-2 last week, but we still have to tip a cap to D’Alessandro for his consistent — and record-breaking — effort.
The 6-foot-4 junior set the program’s single-game scoring record by notching 40 points in a 67-52 victory over Buffalo Grove. The day before, D’Alessandro scored 24 points in a 61-57 win over Grayslake Central.
He tallied 27 points in a tough 68-67 loss to Warren, and finished a long week with 20 points in a 56-43 loss to New Trier.