Boys basketball notes: Libertyville’s Wegrzyn enjoys record-setting holiday at Hardwood Classic
Libertyville boys basketball standout Bryce Wegrzyn brought an eraser with him to the 47th Wheeling Hardwood Classic over the Christmas break.
Specifically, Wegrzyn did some erasing of multiple tournament records in helping Libertyville finish fifth there while himself earning a well-deserved all-tournament nod.
The 6-foot-9 Wegrzyn, headed to Winona State, finished with 133 total points, which set a new tournament record. The next closest player on the 2025 Hardwood scoring chart was tournament MVP Jordan Williams of Fremd, who scored 78 points.
Wegrzyn poured in 56 points, also a new tournament single-game record, in an 89-82 overtime win against Oak Forest. In that same game, Wegrzyn also set a new Hardwood single-game record for most free throws made in a contest with 24.
In the Oak Forest overtime win, the senior shot 10-for-17 from 2, 4-for-8 from 3 and sank 24 of 26 throws. Wegrzyn broke a 35-year-old free-throw record, formerly held by Wheeling’s Will Watson (21).
That Hardwood Classic 4-game benchmark had stood since 2002 (Loyola Academy’s Colln Falls scored 129 points). Falls also saw his record 51-point single-game output go by the wayside thanks to Wegrzyn’s handy work against Oak Forest.
Libertyville went 3-1 at Wheeling, downing Niles Notre Dame 61-60 in overtime, losing to tournament champion and 12-1 Fremd 65-56, winning in extra sessions against Oak Forest and then defeating Saint Viator 59-51 to take fifth.
In addition to the 56 and 12 rebounds he hung on Oak Forest, Wegrzyn had a game-high 25 points and 9 rebounds against St. Viator, scored 24 points in the Fremd loss and 28 points and 9 rebounds in the Notre Dame thriller.
The Wildcats started the week 8-4 overall and 3-0 in North Suburban Conference action.
Warren Township update: Warren gave itself a heck of a Christmas present.
The Blue Devils won the Big Dipper tournament hosted by Rich Township in Richton Park, downing Kenwood 88-54 in the final there where all-stater and 2-time Daily Herald Lake County All-Area Captain Jaxson Davis set a tournament record with 51 points in the championship game.
Davis was named the tournament MVP, while Braylon Walker also earned all-tournament honors.
Warren followed that performance up with an 18-point win against Joliet West this past Saturday to move to 11-1 overall. The Blue Devils, winners of 9 in a row, started the North Suburban Conference portion of their schedule 2-0.
Antioch update: The Sequoits went 1-3 at the Elgin tournament. Senior Mark Render canned a 3 at the buzzer to beat Addison Trail in the opener there. Antioch followed up with a 42-38 nonconference win over Glenbrook South at the famed Hoosier Gym in Knightstown, Ind., site of the famous "Hoosiers" movie.
Render averaged 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals at Elgin on his way to an all-tournament selection.
Senior Chance Parsons averaged 10 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2 assists per game over the break and has been the second-leading producer behind Render since he entered the starting lineup at Elgin, coach Sean Connor noted.
Connor added sophomore Logan Lennon also increased his production over the break, averaging 7 points and leading the team in rebounding at 6 per game. Sophomore Charlie Andre received a varsity summons for the Glenbrook South game where he had his first start with the big club. Andre was a starter on the Antioch football varsity offensive line last fall.
Antioch started the week 3-11 overall and 0-3 in Northern Lake County Conference action.
Carmel Catholic update: The Corsairs split 4 games at the Maine East tournament, with wins in their first 2 games to make the semifinals. Carmel beat Vernon Hills, which is in its sectional, and ended up taking fourth out of 16 in Park Ridge.
Ethan Matz was an all-tournament pick at Maine East for Carmel (6-8, 2-1 East Suburban Catholic). He’s averaging 17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.
Grant update: The Bulldogs went 1-3 at the Jacobs-hosted Hinkle Holiday Classic in Algonquin and started the week 6-5 overall and 2-0 in Northern Lake County games.
Damarrion Smith averaged 14 points, 6 rebounds and 3.5 assists, while Jayden Smith averaged just under a double-double at 9 points and 9 boards while shooting 58% from the floor.
“We are looking to become more consistent in 2026,” Grant coach Wayne Bosworth said. “2025 was a quick learning curve for some of our young nucleus and we look forward to a stronger 2026.”
Grayslake Central update: Central went 2-2 at the Hinkle Classic with wins over the host Golden Eagles and Bartlett.
Alex Granville was a Hinkle all-tournament pick where he averaged 16 points and 2 steals.
Coach Brian Centella pointed out Cole Halverson is back from an injury “and is playing great,” he said, while Aidan Bechard was lauded for doing all the dirty work on the court and for being an excellent defender, Centella added. “Aidan has been crucial to our success,” he added.
Additionally, Carson Woods “has been excellent all year,” Centella said. “He can score, facilitate and defend.”
The Rams were 9-5 overall and 3-0 in Northern Lake County action to start the week.
“We are excited for where this group is,” Centella said. “We have battled some injury and illness, but are healthy and looking forward to the new year.”
Grayslake North update: The Knights also were entrants at Maine East over the holidays where they finished seventh with a 2-2 mark.
Uros Mitrovic was an all-tournament pick at Maine East for a third year in a row after averaging 17 points, including a pair of ballgames with 20-plus-point outputs.
Sophomores Eddy Johnson and Angelo O’Connor have been making huge impacts off the bench for North, coach Josh Feinzimer added.
“Eddy has been all over the offensive boards and Angelo has been shooting the ball extremely well,” Feinzimer said.
The Knights started the week 6-8 overall and 0-3 in Northern Lake County play.
Lake Zurich update: The Bears went 2-2 at the York-hosted Jack Tosh Holiday Classic in Elmhurst and started play this week 5-9 overall and 0-3 in North Suburban action.
Coach Terry Coughlin noted 3-year point guard Evan Peterson played his first games of the year at York after breaking his thumb in Lake Zurich’s state quarterfinal football game against Nazareth Academy.
“Evan statistically is doing well, but his impact is felt throughout our team in many ways statistics don’t quantify,” Coughlin said.
Coughlin felt Adrian Riep had a good Tosh Holiday Classic, which included a 21-point effort against the host Dukes.
Coughlin said Lake Zurich has yet to field a fully healthy team and likely won’t be until the middle to end of January.
“Our team is defending very well right now, but hopefully will start coming together offensively with the return of Evan as our point guard,” he said.
Round Lake update: The Panthers went 1-3 at Maine East with a win against Northside Prep and losses to Carmel, Elk Grove and Leyden. Round Lake started play this week 6-5 overall and 0-2 in Northern Lake County action.
Jaquan Jamrson was a Maine East all-tournament pick after averaging 16 points 7 rebounds and 4 assists. He hit for 28 points in the squad’s win against Northside.
Coach Jack Hansa also has been pleased with the play of Devin Powell on the offensive end. Powell averaged 14 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds during the team’s Park Ridge residency.
Stevenson update: The Patriots were involved in a pair of nail-biting finishes at the Wheeling tournament where they took third (3-1 mark).
After wins against Wauconda and St. Viator, Stevenson lost on a buzzer-beater in the semifinals against Deerfield and then won in overtime in the third-place game against Glenbrook North on an offensive put-back with 0.8 seconds to play.
The Patriots brought a 10-3 mark (2-1 North Suburban) into the week, having won 6 of 7.
Donny Williams and Rocco Pagliocca were all-tournament at Wheeling. Beyond Williams and Pagliocca, coach Will Benson noted both Aidan Albrecht and Quinton Frakes have been excelling of late.
“Aidan has played well lately and probably the last 5-6 games,” he said. “Quinton has played very solid. He’s also the one who had the offensive putback to beat Glenbrook South.”
Stevenson is in the midst of a 3-game schedule this week against Lake Forest, Warren and York. The York game is the makeup of the weather-voided third-place Palatine Thanksgiving tilt.
“We have a tough week,” Benson said. “We are plugging along and trying to continue to improve.”
Vernon Hills update: The Cougars finished fifth at Maine East with a 3-1 record. Brady Larson averaged 12 points and 4 rebounds there and earned an all-tournament selection. Vernon Hills (11-4, 3-0 Central Suburban North) returned to action this past Saturday and dropped a 61-39 nonconference contest to Hampshire.