Who had the top prep basketball performances last week?

So much for a post-holiday letdown.

The area’s boys and girls basketball players came out on fire in the wake of a busy end to 2025. It’s actually been a full schedule so far in 2026, with no signs of slowing up in the coming weeks.

From now until the end of the season, the High Five will honor the top performances from the previous week. Just like we did during football season.

Last week we gave a hint of things to come with a list of the top holiday tournament performances. We’ll roll through the next couple months trying to adhere to a no-repeat rule.

Let’s get 2026 started with a batch of greatness.

5. Alex Sirbu, Buffalo Grove

The double-double machine powered the Bison to a pair of victories.

The 6-foot-9 junior scored 25 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in a 58-48 win over Addison Trail, then added 20 points and 17 boards in a 66-57 Mid Suburban win over Conant.

Sirbu entered the new year after earning all-tournament honors in the Wheeling Hardwood Classic. He then scored 23 points in a 53-26 victory over Hinsdale South in the WSC/MSL Challenge.

4. Liv Johnson, Carmel

The 6-1 freshman has gotten off to an incredible start to her high school career while averaging 18.5 points and 9.4 rebounds through 19 games.

Last week was a busy one for the Johnson and the Corsairs, who lost to Nazareth and beat Lake Forest Academy and St. Viator.

Johnson had 27 points and 11 rebounds in a 61-32 win over LFA. She nearly matched the effort the next day with 28 points and 12 boards in a 55-27 East Suburban Catholic win over St. Viator.

3. Torey Baskin, Hoffman Estates

All tournament at Maine East, Baskin was averaging 24 points a game heading into a monster string of games last week.

The 6-2 senior started by scoring 27 points, grabbing 5 rebounds and nabbing 7 steals in a 76-43 win over Marian Central Catholic.

After scoring 22 points in a 68-49 MSL East win over Wheeling, Baskin poured in a career-high 33 points on 13-of-17 shooting as the Hawks beat St. Charles East 67-44.

2. Ella Pawelczyk, Libertyville

The 5-5 senior knocked down 10 3-pointers against Waukegan, shattering the previous program record of seven set in the 2016-17 season.

Pawelczyk scored 32 points in the 77-29 North Suburban Conference win. She then scored 16 points in a 73-34 victory over Zion-Benton, helping Libertyville improve to 7-0 in the NSC.

1. Adam Bauer, Cary-Grove

Playing four games in five days, Bauer vaulted past the 1,000-point mark for his varsity career as the Trojans swept their way to four victories.

The 6-7 senior had 25 points and 13 rebounds against Carmel, then had 19 points against Burlington-Central and flew by 1k with 27 points against Hampshire. Bauer closed the week with an 18-point, 17-rebound performance against Vernon Hills.