Boys basketball notes: Fremd, Hoffman Estates enjoy repeat titles; Palatine, Rolling Meadows play well at York
The holiday season brought a pair of gifts that teams had received the previous year.
But Fremd and Hoffman Estates have no plans to return them.
Fremd won the Wheeling Hardwood Classic for the second consecutive year and the fifth time overall. Hoffman Estates won the final edition of the Maine East Holiday tournament.
Barrington: The Broncos again made the semifinals at the Hinkle tournament at Jacobs. Barrington (6-7) won its first two games and then fell in the semifinals, losing to eventual champion Benet before dropping the third-place game to Geneva. Oliver Gray had a huge tourney, averaging 23 points and 6 rebounds per game, and was named to the all-tournament team.
Buffalo Grove: The Bison went 1-3 at the Hardwood Classic in Wheeling. Alex Sirbu, who was named to the all-tournament team, scored 70 points in four games while Edwin Karnauchovas had 64 points. Buffalo Grove (9-8) bounced back with wins over Hinsdale South and Addison Trail after the tournament.
Conant: The Cougars dropped their opening game at the Jack Tosh tournament to Glenbard West after Conant led at halftime. Conant came back to beat St. Francis by four and then lost to Fenwick by four before losing to Lake Zurich in the Cougars’ final game.
Elk Grove: The Grenadiers (4-10) had a very good Maine East tournament. Elk Grove went 2-1 before losing to Niles West to finish 10th in the tournament. Cooper Casterton made the all-tournament team by averaging 14.5 points, 5 assists, 1.5 rebounds and one steal.
Fremd: The Vikings beat Deerfield for the second year in a row to claim the Wheeling Hardwood Classic title. Fremd became the first team to repeat as Hardwood tournament champions since Loyola in 2006 and 2007.
Fremd defeated Wheeling, Libertyville and Glenbrook North before beating Deerfield 58-36 in the final. Jordan Williams was tournament MVP for the second consecutive year, averaging 19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists. He became the first player to accomplish that feat since Maine West’s Lucas Johnson in 1996 and 1997. Fremd’s Tommy Moffett was also named to the all-tournament team by averaging 11.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3 assists.
Hersey: After nearly 25 years at Pekin, Hersey (13-1) opted to stay close to home this holiday season and played at the Elgin tournament. It worked out well for the Huskies as they finished second in the tournament, losing to Waukegan in the title game by 8 points. Charlie Pomis and Logan Luxem were named to the all-tournament team for the Huskies, who beat Roosevelt, St. Charles North and Shepard by 26 points or more in the first three games.
Hoffman Estates: The Hawks did it again at the final Maine East tournament. Hoffman held off Sandburg for the second year in a row in the championship game. The Hawks (13-3) won their first three games of the tournament by at least 16 points and then dispatched Sandburg by 8. Torey Baskin was tournament MVP, averaging 24 points, while Chris Mobley and Bryce Smith were also named to the all-tournament team.
Leyden: The Eagles lost their opening game to Sandburg, which would go on to finish second at the Maine East tournament. Leyden (11-5) then followed with wins over Niles West, Argo and Round Lake to capture the consolation title.
Maine East: The Demons had a great run in the final year of its tournament. Maine East (11-4) went 3-1 losing to Sandburg in the semifinals. The Demons then bounced back in the third-place game with a win over Carmel. Senior Brandon Schreiber made the all-tournament team averaging 17 ppg at the tournament while junior Josiah Oaxaca averaged 15 ppg. Maine East will step away from hosting a holiday tournament next season to re-evaluate its future.
Maine South: Panayiotis Sotos averaged 19.8 points and 4.5 rebounds along with 13 total assists and 4 steals to make the all-tournament team at the Hinsdale Central tournament. The Hawks (7-8) opened the tournament with a win over the host Red Devils followed by losses to Brother Rice and Oswego East before beating Burlington Central in their final game.
Maine West: The Warriors (5-8) won their final game at the Hardwood Classic to go 1-3 during the holiday break. Baker Blevins came up huge on the boards for Maine West and tied for second at Wheeling in rebounds with 35.
Palatine: The Pirates (12-3) got off to great start the Jack Tosh tournament with wins over Payton College Prep and Wheaton North. But the Pirates came up short in their final two games, losing to Glenbard East and Metamora by three points in each game. Tony Balanganayi had a massive tournament, averaging 24.8 points and 9.5 rebounds while being named to the all-tournament team. Brady May also had a solid tourney, averaging 10 points while shooting 45% from outside the arc.
Prospect: The Knights went 2-2 at the Hardwood Classic to finish seventh in the tournament. Quinn Zinzer averaged 11.7 points in the tournament with a high of 21 points in Prospect’s loss to St. Viator. Colin Tucker also came up strong, averaging 8 points and 3.5 assists.
Rolling Meadows: The Mustangs had a great Jack Tosh tournament, going 3-1. Meadows opened with a win over Lake Zurich before losing in the second round to St. Patrick by three points. St. Pat’s would go on to lose in the championship game to St. Ignatius. Meadows (10-5) finished its final two games with wins over Riverside-Brookfield and Lyons. Marty Lesner, who averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds, was named to the all-tournament team.
Schaumburg: The Saxons (8-8) dropped their first three games at the Hinsdale Central tournament to Burlington Central, Wheaton Academy and Plainfield East before winning their finale with St. Charles East.
St. Viator: Jacob Only had a huge tournament for the Lions at Wheeling. The sophomore, who was named to the all-tournament team, averaged 16.3 points, 3.5 assists and 2 steals while shooting 88% from the free throw line. Dawson Charles averaged 15.8 points as Viator (8-5) went 2-2 in the tournament to finish sixth.
Wheeling: Zach Neukirch had a solid four games to make the all-tournament team at the Hardwood Classic. Neukirch averaged 15 points along with 8.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.3 steals to help the Wildcats (3-13) go 2-2 in their tournament and finish 11th.