High Five: Who had the area’s top boys basketball performances this season?
This will do it for the IHSA boys basketball season.
All season long, week after week, the High Five honored the top performances of the season. Last week we listed the top girls basketball outings, and this week it’s the boys’ turn.
Without further delay, here are the top performances from a stellar boys basketball season. It features plenty of familiar names with two of the state’s hottest college recruits at the top.
One interesting note … only two of the five players are seniors. The future is bright.
5. Alex Sirbu, Buffalo Grove
The 6-foot-9 junior, who notched his 1,000th varsity point this season, may have enjoyed his best stretch of games in early January while averaging 23 points and 17 rebounds in a pair of wins.
But we’re going with Sirbu’s effort in a four-overtime upset victory over the host Hawks in the Class 4A Hoffman Estates regional semifinals. Sirbu scored 27 points and set a program record with 26 rebounds.
4. Rocco Pagliocca, Stevenson
There are few gymnasiums more raucous than Waukegan’s, especially during North Suburban Conference play.
Pagliocca, however, thrived in the atmosphere in late January. The 6-2 senior scored 41 points and grabbed 5 rebounds to hold off the Bulldogs in a 77-75 NSC victory.
Pagliocca is the only player in program history to win four regional titles.
3. Torey Baskin, Hoffman Estates
The 6-2 senior guard was electric despite a 70-62 loss to Fremd in the Mid-Suburban League title game. Baskin scored 42 points on 24 shots while adding 4 assists and 4 steals.
The recent Davenport University commit was named the MSL East player of the year and set program records for single-season and career scoring.
2. Cole Kelly, Neuqua Valley
Watching him play, you’d never guess Kelly was only a sophomore.
Kelly, 6-7, had numerous performances worthy of this list but we’re going with an early one. The IBCA first-team all-stater scored 41 points in a 72-62 DuPage Valley Conference win over rival Metea Valley.
Kelly’s college offers already include Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska.
1. Jaxson Davis, Warren
No surprise seeing Davis at the top. A half dozen of his performances could have made this list.
The 6-foot junior, also a first-team all-stater, set a Big Dipper Classic scoring record in December by scoring 51 points in an 88-54 win over Kenwood in the title game. He also had 7 rebounds and 6 assists.
Davis has more than a dozen college offers, including from Illinois, Michigan, Iowa and Purdue. He’ll enter his senior season with 2,163 varsity points.