Lake County boys basketball notes: Warren, Vernon Hills net tournament titles
Here’s your first Lake County boys basketball talking points of 2024:
Warren won the Proviso West tournament; Jaxson Davis was the first ninth-grader to ever win MVP honors there.
Vernon Hills won the Maine East tournament; Dylan Chung named tournament MVP.
Lake Zurich finished second at the Hinkle Holiday Classic in Algonquin where all-tournament pick Anton Strlnikov averaged 19 points and 8 rebounds and shot 65% from the floor.
Stevenson won the consolation title at the 16-team Hinsdale Central confab and continues to have four players averaging double figures in scoring, led by all-tournament selection Aiden Bardic.
Wauconda’s Braeden Carlsen led all Wheeling Hardwood Classic players in scoring (84 points in four games) on his way to all-tournament accolades there.
The Warren boys basketball team had itself quite a time at the Proviso West holiday tournament.
The Blue Devils won the tournament with a 4-0 mark to run their overall record to 15-1 (Warren was off to a 3-0 start in North Suburban play as well).
Of note in Hillside, Davis was named the tournament MVP and was joined on the all-tournament team by teammate Alex Daniels.
Davis scored 36 points in Warren’s title win against Lincoln Park.
Davis was averaging 19.6 points and 5.6 assists per game heading into the new year, while Daniels was at 11.1 points and 4.8 rebounds.
Warren, ranked No. 2 in the most recent Daily Herald Top 20 poll, was ranked eighth in the most recent Class 4A Associated Press state poll.
Vernon Hills update: Vernon Hills (9-7) was another Lake County team to hoist holiday hardware. The Cougars won the Maine East tournament with a 4-0 mark — victories over Morton Grove Academy, Sandburg, Maine East and Leyden. No opponent scored more than 49 points against Vernon Hills there.
Chung was named tournament MVP after averaging 13.1 points per game. Junior forward Anthony Morgan and sophomore center Daniel Odhiambo were named to the all-tournament team.
Cougars coach Matt McCarty also lauded the play of sophomore forward Brady Larsen and senior forward Deen Hatibovic. Larsen drained 12 threes during the tournament, including five in the title game. “Brady’s shooting allowed us to spread our offense, and we were able to get the ball inside more frequently,” he said. “He was a big difference-maker for us.”
Hatibovic scored 16 points against Morton Grove in the opener “and really carried us offensively,” McCarty said. “He made a huge 3 with less than 2 minutes remaining, propelling us to victory.”
Lake Zurich update: The Bears took second at the Hinkle Classic, losing in the title game to Waubonsie Valley. Lake Zurich was 11-4 overall to start the week and 3-1 in North Suburban action.
Strelnikov and Nick Popovic were all-tournament selections at Jacobs. Popovic averaged 10 points and 7 assists and guarded the best players from Jacobs and Crystal Lake South, holding them below their scoring averages on the year.
On the season, Strelnikov is at 17 points and 7 rebounds per game, while shooting .640 from the field. Popovic averages 12 points and 5 assists.
“Anton obviously carried a huge scoring burden for us, but he became a better rebounder during the tournament,” Bears coach Terry Coughlin said. “Nick has become such a winning player. He guards the best perimeter player on the other team night in and night out and is making great decisions offensively, which showed up in his 7 assists per game at Jacobs.”
Coughlin said sophomore Kain Kretschmar is coming into his own. “Kain is gaining confidence and provides serious offensive firepower for us both behind the arc and in the paint,” he said.
Antioch update: The Northern Lake County Conference-leading Sequoits split four games at the Wheeling Hardwood Classic.
Marshall Gehrke and Teddi Wetu had individual 18-point games in each of Antioch’s wins over Buffalo Grove and Wheeling, respectively. Antioch was 7-7 overall to start the week (4-0 in NLCC action).
Carter Webb leads Antioch in scoring at 11.9 points per game, while Weti is tops in rebounds at 3.8 per game. Joel Bulka averages 3.2 assists, while Wetu averages a team-best 1.8 steals. Webb leads the team with 22 made 3-pointers, while Wetu is shooting .815 from the foul line (22-for-27).
Wetu, a junior, and Webb, a senior, led the Sequoits in scoring, rebounding, blocks and steals at Wheeling.
Carmel update: Kaleb Jackson was named to the second all-tournament team at Centralia over the holidays. He had one game with 26 points and 10 assists and scored 21 points in another game.
Carmel headed into the new year at 5-9 overall. Jackson was averaging 17.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists to start the week, while Noah LaMora was averaging 4.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
“Kaleb has gotten much better defensively,” Carmel coach Dmitry Pirshin said. “Noah leads the team and helps run things well.”
Pirshin also has been pleased with the shooting progress Ethan Matz has made.
Grant update: The Bulldogs took eighth out of 16 teams at the Hinkle Holiday Classic. Grant sits at 7-8 overall and in second place in the NLCC with a 3-1 mark to start the week.
Landon Enters averages 13 points per game, while Will Schubert and Jacobs all-tournament pick Braylon Gray each average 10 points. Gray, a junior, averaged 12 points in the tournament, while Enters was at 11.7 points. Pryde Mendoza averaged just under 5 rebounds per game from the guard position at Jacobs.
Grayslake Central update: The Rams split four games at the Hinkle Classic.
Central defeated Bartlett and Cary-Grove to reach the semifinals but then lost to undefeated Waubonsie Valley and 14-2 Crystal Lake South. The Rams head into the new year 9-5 overall and 3-1 in Northern Lake County play.
Xavi Granville, all-tournament at Jacobs, leads the Rams in scoring at 17 points per game, while Eric Brum and Jayden Hall are each at 3 assists per game, while Hall also leads the team in charges drawn and 3s made.
“Jayden has been rock-solid all year as our senior leader,” Rams coach Brian Centella said. “He does everything.”
Centella added that Brum, a junior, and senior Cayden Woods also have been key cogs. “A true unsung hero has been Eric Brum,” he said. “He is a steady point guard and defends extremely well. Cayden has defended well and has done a lot of the little things for us that do not always show up in the stat sheet.”
Grayslake North update: The Knights opened play at Maine East with a win over Chicago Butler, but lost their final three games.
“We saw little improvements each game,” North coach Josh Feinzimer said. “We were short-handed in the final game of the tournament, but took a good Ridgewood team down to the wire.”
North trailed Sandburg by 18 points at one point but cut the lead to seven in the second half.
“There is no quit in this team and a real toughness that comes through in the energy and effort they put forth each game,” Feinzimer said. “Our younger guys are starting to learn what it takes to be successful at the varsity level and our seniors are stepping up in a big way.”
Jayden Hunt leads North in scoring at 19 points and shoots 50% from the field, while Uros Mitrovic averages 15.5 points, shoots 50% from the field and 37% from 3, while also averaging 7.2 rebounds. North started the week 4-11 overall and 0-4 in Northern Lake County play.
Feinzimer also liked how seniors Sergio Janneau and Junior Munoz competed at Maine East. Janneau scored 11 points against Sandburg and pulled down double-digit rebounds against Ridgewood, while Munoz had 9 points in a loss to Maine East.
“Sergio emerged as a supporting player who is making things happen on the court,” the coach explained. “Junior has made an impact with his playmaking ability. Sergio and Junior are two guys we can rely on.”
Hunt was an all-tournament pick at Maine East. “It was well-deserved,” Feinzimer said. “Jayden continues to put forth tremendous effort on both ends of the floor and continues to lead on and off the court. It takes a special talent to still score and distribute when being face-guarded all over the floor, and that’s precisely what Jayden has been able to do.”
Lakes update: The Eagles headed into the new year 4-10 overall and 2-2 in Northern Lake County Conference play. Lakes did not play in a holiday tournament.
Jimmy Kania leads Lakes in scoring at 11.8 points per game, while JJ Jackson averages 5 assists and Prodive Matumona is at 7 rebounds per game and has more than 100 boards this season.
“We made good use of our time during the holidays to improve and continue to make progress as a team, while also giving the team a chance to recharge and spend some time with family and friends,” Lakes coach Chris Snyder said. “We’re looking forward to an exciting 2024.”
Snyder likes the progress he’s seen from Jason Klimas and Lamar Pierce. “Jason and Lamar are two players who have been working hard and will be a big part of what we do in the second half of the season,” he said.
Stevenson update: The Patriots won the consolation championship at Hinsdale Central, finishing with a 3-1 mark. Stevenson lost to Rockford Auburn 48-46 and beat Plainfield East 69-62, Morgan Park 65-35 and Lincoln-Way Central 65-51. Stevenson started the week 9-5 overall and 1-2 in North Suburban play.
Coach Will Benson noted the Auburn loss came against a team that went on to score 80-plus points in each of its next three games.
Aidan Bardic was named to the 10-player all-tournament team.
“It’s a prestigious all-tournament team,” Benson said. “Ten players make it in a difficult and deep 16-team field.”
Bardic leads the team in scoring at 13.1 points. Jack Dabbs averages 12.1 points, while Atticus Richmond is at 11.8 points and Rocco Pagliocca is at 10 points and 21 made 3s. Richmond averages 7 rebounds, while Bardic is at 3.5 assists per game and Armand Burris averages 2 steals.
“At Hinsdale Central we had contributions from a lot of guys up and down the roster, so hopefully we can continue that trend going forward,” Benson said. “We really have started to play more consistently the last couple weeks.”
Stevenson ended the first half of the season winning five of its last six (Auburn being the only setback by a hoop).
Round Lake update: The Panthers went 0-3 in holiday tournament action, but coach Jack Hansa saw plenty of progress nonetheless.
“For the first time, we felt like we were in every game,” he said. “We had a few runs where we let the games get out of hand. It was a breath of fresh air to see our guys compete and be resilient for being down a few guys. The Christmas tournament was the first time all year we were in games consistently and made them competitive.”
Cameron Hundley led the Panthers, averaging 12.5 points over the holidays. He leads Round Lake in scoring at 7.2 points, while Aldo Vega averages 4.4 rebounds. Round Lake started the week 0-14 overall and 0-5 in NLCC play.
Hansa also liked the way sophomore Daniel Russ and freshman Jaquan Jamerson competed in the Christmas tournament.
“We had a few guys out so we pulled up Daniel and Jaquan,” the coach said. “Daniel played big and had many contributions that did not show up on the stat sheet. Jaquan played a lot of key minutes and handled the ball and showed he has a very bright future ahead of him.”
Wauconda update: The Bulldogs went 2-2 at Wheeling, holding second-half leads in all four games they played there.
“We had a good showing,” Wauconda coach Ty Weidner said.
Wauconda lost to Deerfield (69-58) and Prospect (47-35) and defeated Buffalo Grove (74-64) and Maine West (76-63). The Bulldogs were 9-4 overall and 3-1 in NLCC play to start this week.
Carlsen leads Wauconda in scoring at 22.5 points to go with 5.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.8 steals. Cayden Mudd averages 12.9 points, 2.2 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals, while Tyler Tylka is at 6.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1 steal a game. Zach Miller averages 8.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists.
“Tyler, Cayden and Zach continue to be a great supporting cast to Braeden,” Weidner said. “Cayden and Zach set the pace for our up-tempo transition offense while Tyler continues to make the extra pass and rebound for us.”