Tournament News

Tournament MVP: Jaxon Davis (Warren Township)

First Team All-Tournament Team:

Jaxon Davis (Warren Township)

Machi Nelson (Proviso West)

Chase Turner (Lincoln Park)  

Branden Chatman (Rockford Guilford)

Aleks Alston (Kenwood)

Second Team All-Tournament Team:

Race Kowalczyk (St. John’s Jesuit)

Semaje Howard (Lincoln Park)

Christopher Riddle (Kenwood)

Juaquin Dixon (Proviso East)

Alex Daniels (Warren Township)

(BOX SCORE) – In the tournament finale two new teams matched up in a championship game for the first time in Proviso West Holiday Tournament History as the Lincoln Park Lions and the Warren Township Blue Devils squared off, naming the Blue Devils the 2023 Proviso West Holiday Tournament Champions. 

The game got out to a fast paced start with 15 combined shots in the first two minutes. A layup from Keyshawn Barfield got the Lions on the board first but a three from Braylon Walker put the Blue Devils up by one where they’d sit for a few minutes. Another three for the Blue Devils this time from Jaxon Davis would put them up by four, but the Lions would answer quickly with a tough basket in the paint from Barfield.

A midrange jumper from the right elbow from Alex Daniels would keep the momentum with the Blue Devils as they extended their lead to seven. A much needed three from the wing from Damian Pearson would break the Lions’ dry spell and shift the swing of the game. A layup from Chase Turner would bring the Lions within two. Answering back quickly, an and-one Immanuel Brown would put the Blue Devils back up by four, but an and-one from Pearson would quickly bring the Lions within one to end the first quarter.

With the Lions having possession to start the second quarter, a missed three would give Daniels a fastbreak layup to go up by three. Putting in the work on the defensive end, a charge taken by Jacquari Nabb would translate into another two points for Davis to bring Warren up by five. A fastbreak layup from Semaje Howard would bring the Lions within two, but back-to-back steals and layups for the Blue Devils would advance them back to a seven point lead. In a matter of two possessions, Davis picked up a steal, an assist, and a layup while Jack Wolf added in the other steal and layup.

After the Lions were forced to take a timeout to regroup, they found a bit of momentum and picked up the steal and fastbreak layup from Pearson, but a retaliation three from Davis would undo any momentum the Lions had accumulated.

After yet another timeout the Lions would take, a steal from Wolf would translate into an easy two Daniels to put the Blue Devils up by ten. 11 combined points from Daniels and Davis would give Warren their largest lead of the half at 16 with less than 40 seconds to play in the half. Despite trying to extend their lead before the buzzer went off, the Blue Devils would close the half with a comfortable 16 point lead over the Lions.

Needing to turn a corner in the second half, the Lions scored first off a Jaylen Dickerson steal that translated to a Turner layup. Barfield would score next for the Lions with a dish in the paint from Dickerson to cut the Blue Devils lead down to 12, but the duo of Daniels and Davis would once again beat the Lion defense and put them up by 14 again. With the Lions doing anything imaginable to shut down Davis, he would be held scoreless until midway through the third quarter following heavy face guarding from the Lions. Davis would find space for a deep three from the top of the key to hold the Blue Devils’ double-digit lead. Still fighting through intense Lion defense, Davis would pick up a tough and-one to put the Blue Devils up by 14 with under three minutes remaining in the third quarter.

A scoreless game for nearly two minutes saw intense back-and-forth between the two teams before Davis would sneak his way through a lane of defenders for two. A pair of free throws with 42 seconds on the clock would give the Lions the chance for their first points since 3:38  but another crafty jumper from Davis would retaliate.

With the final eight minutes of play underway, the Blue Devils got the crowd on their feet after a monstrous and-opne from Wolf to put the Blue Devils up by a game-high 17 points. A tough basket from Wolf would bump the Blue Devils up to another new game high 18 point lead. An and-one from Howard would be the first bucket for the Lions in theh fourth quarter. A corner three from Wolf would bump him into double-digit scoring for they night and keep the Blue Devils at a 17 point advantage with under five minutes to play. A fastbreak and-one from Davis would give the Blue Devils another game-high lead at 21 while bringing his total to 30. Not letting up, the Blue Devils would hit a running Davis for a fastbreak layup to put them up by 23. 

Not giving up, Howard would find his way into the lane for an easy two for the Lions. Heading back the other direction, Davis would drive into the paint and draw the foul to put himself at the free throw line where he would drain two to make him the highest single-game scorer of the tournament at 34 points. 

As the clock wound down, the Blue Devils would easily secure the win and see three double-digit scorers in Davis (36), Daniels (17), and Wolf (10). With their first appearance in the Proviso West Holiday Tournament, the Blue Devils would quickly make themselves known and secure the championship with a huge 23 point victory, 75-52. 

Following their first appearance in the championship game, the Lincoln Park Lions would secure a second place finish.

(BOX SCORE) – In the fight for third place in the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament the Kenwood Broncos and the Rockford Guilford Vikings would duke it out resulting in an 89-44 victory for the Broncos.

The Broncos struck first with a fast layup off the tip from Christopher Riddle and continued to work with a throw down from Jaden Smith ten seconds later. Another fast layup for the Broncos, this time from Aleks Alston would give them a fast 6-0 lead. The Vikings would combat that with a three from Jaden Webster to cut the lead in half and the battle of back-and-forth had officially begun. With the Vikings tying things up off a jumper from Je’Sean Frye, a retaliation layup from Rajan Roberts would put the Broncos back up by two. The Vikings would then go on to take their first lead of the day off threes from Frye and Jaden Webster to put them up by four. 

An insane quarter of shooting would set the tone of the game as both teams shot above 50% from the field. An impressive 11-16 from the field from the Broncos would aid them in taking the eight point lead. With the defensive efforts from the Broncos coming out in full force in the second quarter, they held the Vikings to a mere nine points to jump out by 24 heading into the half.

Fresh into the second half, two quick layups from Michael Jalil would break the Vikings loose before going into a three-point shootout with Alston and Roberts draining two threes apiece while the Vikings would only see one longball from Branden Chatman. After outscoring the Vikings 27-15, the Broncos would lead by 36 heading into the final eight minutes of play.

In the final eight minutes of play, the Vikings still struggled to get working offensively and would only pick up two points while the Broncos would keep lighting up the floor and secure 11 in the final quarter. Finishing the night with a 55% from the field (33-60) and 53.3% from the three point line (16-30), the Broncos would round out their time in the PWHT on a high note with the 89-44 victory.

With the win, the Broncos secured third place in the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament. The Broncos have finished in first, second, and third place in the last three consecutive years. With the loss, the Vikings walk away with a fourth place finish in their first appearance in the tournament.

(BOX SCORE) – In a battle for fifth place at the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament the 2022 PWHT champions Whitney Young Dolphins and the St. John’s Jesuit Titans went head-to-head, resulting in a 20-point win in favor of the Dolphins.

An early back-and-forth game saw the exchange of baskets in the first half, with the Dolphins taking the three point lead heading into the second quarter. A layup from Jayden Jones in the second quarter would put the Titans ahead by one, for their first lead of the game. The lead didn’t last long as a quick three pointer from the corner from Cole Pruitt would put the Dolphins back on top, where they would stay for the remainder of the game.

The second half told a familiar tale as the Dolphins propelled to a 21 point lead with less than four minutes to play in the third quarter. As the Titans would struggle to convert on offense, two layups from Joseph Taylor would break the dry spell after not being able to score for nearly four minutes. In their lowest scoring quarter yet, the Titans would be held to nine points while trailing by 24.

By the end of the third quarter, the Dolphins saw three scorers with 10+ points as Antonio Munoz (12 pts), Damajay Richardson (10 pts), and Pruitt (10 pts) led for the Dolphins.

Hitting the crunch time in the fourth quarter, the Titans struck first after a layup from Eddie Heywood would open the doors. A coast-to-coast layup from Nasir Rankin would equalize the previous Titan layup before layups from Rico D’Alessandro and Munoz followed by a three from Rankin would put the Dolphins up by 30.

After making back-to-back appearances in the championship game during the 2022 and 2021 tournaments, the Dolphins secured their spot as the fifth place victors of the 2023 Proviso West Holiday Tournament with a 69-49 win.

(BOX SCORE) – Proviso West took home the consolation championship on Saturday, defeating the Clarke Eagles by a 68-55 final score at the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament.

It was back and forth in the opening quarter, but Proviso West was able to build out a 13-7 lead at the end of the quarter, holding Clark scoreless over the final 3:08 of the quarter.

The Panthers rode the momentum into the second quarter, where they outscored Clark 23-11. Proviso west pulled away with a 14-0 run over three minutes. A Machi Nelson three with 2:09 remaining in the quarter made it 34-18 Panthers. Nelson added on one more jumper before the end of the quarter, giving Proviso West a 36-18 lead at the half.

Clarke tried to make a run in the third, using an 11-2 run to pull back within 38-29 with 5:12 to go in the quarter. However, Proviso was able to build their lead back out, extending the lead to 58-38 on a Nelson three before the buzzer. 

Clark had one more run in them in the fourth, pulling back within ten with 1:23 to go, but Proviso West was able to lock it up defensively, closing out the 68-55 victory.

Machi Nelson led the Panthers with 23 points (8-10 FG, 5-6 3FG). Brandale Steward finished with 20 points (7-14 FG). Jemerion Raines led the scoring for Clark with 14 points (5-16 FG).

With the win, Proviso West claims the 2023 Proviso West Holiday Tournament consolation championship. It was the first consolation championship for Proviso West since the 2016 tournament. Clark finishes as consolation runner-up.

[BOX SCORE] - The Perspectives Warriors slipped past the Zion Benton Zee-Bees 64-59 in overtime in game 24 of the 62nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament.

The Zee Bees erased an 11-point fourth quarter deficit when Jayden Young-Delk knocked down a right-wing three as time expired to knot the score at 55-55 and force overtime.

In the extra frame, the Warriors outscored the Zee-Bees 9-4 to improve to 7-5 on the season while Zion Benton fell to 2-11.

Perspective’s Dwayne Davis led all scorers with 20 points on 10-for-11 shooting from the field. Davis added ten rebounds, five on the offensive glass, for a double-double in the winning effort.

For the Zee-Bees, Amare Simpson led the way with 17 points. Simpson shot 7-for-19 from the field, including 3-for-8 from three.  Jayvon Perteet added 12 points and pulled down 12 boards in the losing effort.

[BOX SCORE] - Game 23 of the 62nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament saw the Austin Tigers outlast the Rauner Wildcats, 61-53.

Austin’s Deontay Johnson pushed the opening tap forward to Jeffrey Hall for a quick score as the Tigers opened the game on an 8-2 run spanning the first 1:20 of the opening quarter.

The Wildcats clawed their way back, evening the score at 17-17 on a fastbreak layin by Camar Russell. Rauner then took their first lead of the game on a pair of free throws by Yaweah Anderson before Austin closed out the first half on a 9-2 run to claim a 26-21 lead at the break.

Austin then started to pull away, outscoring the Wildcats 20-9 in the third quarter to open a 46-30 lead heading to the fourth.

Rauner managed a quick 10-2 spurt to open the fourth quarter before a one-handed flush by Johnson settled down the Tigers who managed to hang on for the eight-point win.

Johnson and Hall combined to score 36 points with Hall dropping in a game-high 19 points on 6-for-16 shooting from the field and going a perfect 6-for-6 at the foul line. Hall added 15 blocks and 11 rebounds for the first triple-double in the 2023 tournament.

For the Wildcats, Anderson led the way with a double-double effort of 16 points and ten rebounds in 28 minutes. Vashawn Dorssey added in 16 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the field, including going a perfect 3-for-3 from three.

With the win, Austin pulls to 6-6 on the season while Rauner falls to 6-5.

(BOX SCORE) - In the final matchup of the evening, the Kenwood Broncos and the Warren Township Blue Devils went head-to-head for the final spot in the championship game of the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament. A thrilling performance resulted in the Blue Devils punching their ticket to the championship game with a 73-63 victory.

An unusually slow start for the Broncos saw a lone free throw as the first bucket of the game, but the Blue Devils took the early lead off a jumper in the paint from Jaxson Davis. With the Broncos missing back-to-back threes, they’d be force to use up a 30-second timeout to regroup. A layup from Alex Daniels would put the Blue Devils up by three, but a dagger of a three from Edwon Duling would tie things up. Tough Bronco pressure would force a turnover, but the Blue Devils responded right back forcing one of their own before Davis would drain a triple to regain the lead. A furious dunk from Alston would cut the deficit down to four while a deep three from him would make it a one point game. Every time the Broncos began to find a groove, the Blue Devils would hit the gas and end the first quarter with a three point lead.

A pair of free throws from Calvin Robins would put the Broncos on the board first in the second quarter, but a three from Jack Wolf followed by a steal and fastbreak layup from Wolf would propel the Blue Devils up by six once again. Finding nothing but momentum, the Blue Devils went to work. Six steals

A fresh three from Christopher Riddle cut the Bronco deficit down to four, but a retaliation and-one from Immanuel Brown would keep the Blue Devils on top. With the Blue Devils going up by as much as 11 after a bucket from Braylon Walker a much needed three for the Broncos came at the hands of Devin Cleveland. With under two minutes to play, Warren would answer quickly with a quick five points from Javerion Banks. After a tough offensive and defensive first half, capitalized by six steals from the Blue Devils and 12 points for Daniels, the Blue Devils would lead by nine with 16 minutes to play.

The first points of the half would come off a cut to the basket from Jaden Smith but a layup from Brown would equalize it. The Blue Devils still carrying a nine point lead, three free throws for Alston would bring that down to a six point lead. A series of momentum changing events occurred in the early works of the third quarter as a three from Braylon Walker would put the Blue Devils up by nine but a fastbreak and-one from Duling would shift momentum back to the Broncos. Though the Broncos would start to find their shot they were unsuccessful in their attempts at stopping the Blue Devils. A big time three from Duling would be overcast by a retaliation three from Walker. A layup from Smith would be overcast by a three from Davis. An and-one from Alston would inch the Broncos closer, but nonetheless the Blue Devils would close the quarter with a six point advantage.

Officially in the crunch time, a massive and-one from smith would bring the Broncos within one. A retaliation and-one in favor of Wolf would keep the lead comfortable for the Blue Devils at four. A stepback three from Wolf would put the Blue Devils up by seven as a Walker steal would give them possession back. Taking advantage of their control over the game, the Blue Devils would take a timeout with 5:09 to play.

Shaving a few minutes off the clock before either team scored, a tip-in from Alston would bring the Broncos within five but a fast retaliation three from Wolf would put the Blue Devils back where they previously were ahead. A crafty layup from Daniels followed by a huge momentum building layup from Davis would put the Blue Devils up by 11 with less than two minutes to play in the game. A layup from Duling would cut the Bronco deficit but a quick Davis layup would bump them right back ahead by 11. After leading for the entirety of the game, except for the 1-0 start from the Broncos, the Blue Devils would close out the game with a ten point win, 73-63.

Despite falling to the Blue Devils, the Broncos saw a slew of big performances as four players had double-digit days in Alston (15), Robins (12), Smith (12), and Duling (10). On the flip side, the Blue Devils also saw a number of big scorers also finding four double-digit scorers in Daniels (16), Davis (16), Wolf (14), and Walker (12).

With the win, the Blue Devils will head to the championship game to face off against Lincoln Park tomorrow, December 30^th at 7:00pm. For the first time in two years of the Proviso West Holiday Tournament, the Kenwood Broncos will not be playing in the championship game and will battle for third place against Rockford Guilford tomorrow, December 30^th at 5:30pm.

Lincoln Park secured its spot in the championship game of the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holliday Tournament with a 68-57 victory over Guilford in Friday’s first semifinal contest. The Lions had a balanced scoring attack, with all seven players who saw action recording at least four points, while the Lincoln Park defense limited Guilford to 31.3% shooting.

Swarming defense by Lincoln Park lifted the Lions to a 16-5 lead following a quarter of play as Guilford was held to just 2-for-14 (14.3%) shooting from the field. The Lincoln Park duo of Chase Turner (8) and Damian Pearson (6) combined for 14 of the Lions’ 16 first-quarter points.

Guilford shook off the first quarter rust, using an 8-0 run to pull within three at 22-19 with four minutes remaining in the half. The scoring run was aided by a pair of 3-pointers from Jaden Webster and Michael Jalil. The Guilford surge continued through to the end of the half, with Cinco Gary’s layup pulling the Vikings level at 27-all with just under a minute remaining in the half. A late 3-pointer by Semaje Howard would pull Lincoln Park in front, 30-27, heading into the halftime break.

The teams traded baskets throughout most of the third quarter. A Jaylen Dickerson layup gave Lincoln Park an eight-point lead, but Guilford used an eventual 8-0 run to jump back in front by one with just over two minutes left in the quarter. Lincoln Park would score the final four points of the quarter to take a slim 44-41 lead into the final frame.

Lincoln Park slowly began to pull away in the fourth quarter, using a 9-0 run to build a 13-point cushion at 55-42 with just over four minutes to play in the contest. Larry Harris had four points in the run while Chase Turner added the final three in the scoring spurt. The Lions’ lead would grow to as many as 13 down the stretch, while Guilford could only close the gap to eight points in the final minutes.

(BOX SCORE) - The St. John’s Jesuit Titans and the T.F. North Meteors battled for the chance to continue playing for one more game in the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament, resulting in a 44-34  win for the Titans.

The Titans held the Meteors to a measly five points in the first quarter while jumping out to a five point lead. The Titans would be plagued by turnovers as they faced five in the first eight minutes of play. The Titans would go up by as much as nine in the second quarter after a layup from Joseph Taylor but a retaliation three from Dequan Barker would drop that to a six point lead for the Titans.

The story of the first half would be told by a hot St. John’s Jesuit team that would be shooting 46.7% from the field (7-15) while a cold T.F. North team would only shoot 29.4% (5-17).

Despite the Titans having the lead at the start of the second half, a quick three from Barker would cut that down to five. Unwilling to give up their lead, the Titans would continue to drive into the paint. With 3:47 left to play in the quarter, another trip to the charity stripe would put them up by nine. The first field goal of the half for the Titans wouldn’t come until less than a minute to play when Race Kowalcyzk would hit a three from the corner to put them up by eight. A momentum shifting and-one for Leon Cooks would force St. John’s Jesuit to take a timeout to regroup, but the Titans were able to hold on and head into the final eight minutes with a nine point advantage.  

With time slowly ticking down, the Titans would find their groove and back-to-back layups from Taylor and Jayden Jones would put them up by 16. A crafty layup from Jaylen Blakes would keep the hope alive for the Meteors but the dagger would be a three from Kowalczyk would round things out with the 44-34 victory for the Titans.

With the win, the Titans will battle for fifth place tomorrow, December 30^th, against the Whitney Young Dolphins. Following the loss, the T.F. North Meteors close their time out in the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament.

(BOX SCORE) - Whitney Young held off a furious second half surge by Proviso East to advance to the fifth-place game at the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament with a 72-57 victory. The Dolphins saw their 18-point third quarter lead slip away as Proviso East took a 1-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but Whitney Young pulled away late to secure the 15-point victory.

Whitney Young jumped out to an early 24-15 lead after the first quarter of play thanks to the strength of the 3-point shot. The Dolphins finished the quarter 4-for-8 from beyond the arc, with four different players connecting from long distance. A putback slam by RicoAntonio D’Alessandro just before the buzzer capped a 60% shooting effort by Whitney Young in the first eight minutes of action.

The Dolphins’ hot shooting would continue into the second quarter, as Whitney Young would score the first eight points to build a 32-15 lead with just under four minutes remaining in the first half. D’Alessandro picked up where he left off at the end of the first quarter, scoring four of the team’s eight points. Whitney Young’s lead would grow to as many as 18 points, but Proviso East would use a 6-1 run to get within 12 in the closing seconds of the first half. Whitney Young’s Sean Brown would beat the buzzer with a layup to push the Dolphin lead back to 14 at 39-25 heading into the halftime break. 

The third quarter was dominated by Proviso East, as the Pirates outscored Whitney Young, 25-12, to turn a 14-point halftime deficit into a 1-point game heading into the fourth quarter. Proviso East’s surge came in the final 4:15 of the quarter, with the Pirates ending the quarter on a 19-2 run.

The run would continue into the start of the fourth quarter as a layup by Proviso East’s Juaquin Dixon gave the Pirates the 52-51 edge, the team’s first least since Isaiah Pickens’ bucket with 3:08 remaining in the first quarter gave Proviso East a slim 11-10 lead.

Whitney Young withstood the Proviso East run, using a 15-0 scoring spree to build a 66-54 lead with just over four minutes to play. The lead was more than enough as Whitney Young held Proviso East to just one field goal over the final seven minutes of action.

(BOX SCORE) – In the last battle for a spot in the Consolation Championship, the host team Proviso West took on the Farragut Admirals, resulting in a 65-54 victory for the Panthers.

The Panthers heated up in the first half and jumped out to a 15 point lead after 16 minutes of play. In a game where they seemingly couldn’t miss, the Panthers went 13-26 from the field, shooting an impressive 50.0% in the first half. Brandale Steward led charge for the host team with a game-high 14 points at the half.

The Panthers held the Admirals to a mere six points in the first quarter, relying heavily on their defensive efforts as they forced the Admirals into five turnovers. Despite the tough offensive performance, the Admirals worked on the glass and picked up 26 rebounds in the first half. A last second three from Timothy Stanton would cut the 18 point Panther lead down to 15 heading into the half.

With a fresh mindset coming into the second half, the Admirals battled but the Panthers weren’t shying away. A layup from Drake Washington would kick-start the second half but a steal and fast break layup from Gerald Brock would quickly retaliate. A corner three from Deangelo Embry would result in a Farragut timeout with the Admirals only trailing by ten with 11 minutes remaining in the game. After the Panthers went ahead by 17 following seven consecutive free throws, another corner three from Embry and a throw down from Jamari Pickens would lessen the blow. With Layups from Washington and Marvin Stephens, the Panthers would keep their 16 point lead heading into the final eight minutes.

A quick layup from Steward would start things off for the Panthers but the Admirals continued to find Embry in the corner as he drained another two threes to cut the deficit back down to 12. Unable to fight in the paint against the Panthers, layups from Tramaine Allen and Machi Nelson would put them over the top as they collected 32 of their points from inside the paint.

As the Admirals clawed their way back into the game, the 20 point performance from Embry seemed to be the glimmer of hope, but the six made threes wouldn’t be enough to combat the scorching Panther offense. With three players in double-digit points and one with double-digit rebounds, the Panthers punched their ticket for one last game in the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament. Big time points from Steward (18), Washington (18), and Nelson (17) paired with the 11 rebound performance from Allen would give the Panthers their 65-54 victory.

(BOX SCORE) - With competition getting heavy in the 62nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament, the Longwood Panthers and the Clark Eagles duked it out for a spot in the Consolation Championship game. With intense defense and hot shooting, the Eagles ran away with the game and secured one last game in the tournament.

A pair of free throws would get the Eagles on the board first where they would run away in the first quarter. An electric offensive and defensive performance would hold the Panthers to a mere four points while securing 17 of their own. This offensive burst would be finalized with a buzzer beating three from Martin Dempsey to secure the 13 point lead after the first eight minutes. The Eagles would go on a 11-0 run over the span of the first two quarters as the Panthers struggled to retain possession of the ball. The Panthers would break this run with a momentum shifting and-one from Jayson Melesio.

Continuing to play a physical game, the Eagles would jump out to a 20 point lead with four minutes to play in the half. Going on a 15-0 run to close the quarter, the Eagles capitalized off of back-to-back threes from Dempsey, including yet another buzzer-beater. Despite regaining possession and forcing a handful of turnovers, the Panthers would see their fault be their shooting. With the Eagles shooting 53.6% from the field in the first half (15-28) the Panthers shot a faint 13.0% from the field (3-23). Despite the two teams battling fairly even in every other category, the Panthers couldn’t overcome their cold shots in the first 16, and went into halftime trailing 42-12.

Despite needing to find some momentum in the second half, the Panthers would once again struggle to retain possession and be plagued by turnovers. The Panthers would see their first points of the half come with four minutes to play off a pair of free throws followed closely behind by a layup from DeAndre Malone Jr. The Eagles would answer back with a three of their own from KaShawn Smith to keep them up by 39. For the third consecutive quarter, the Eagles would close out with a buzzer-beater three, this time from Smith. 

 With the win, the Eagles will play in the Consolation Championship tomorrow, December 30th, for a 2:00pm tipoff while the Panthers close their time in the tournament. 

(BOX SCORE) - In a game that only belonged to them, the Kenwood Broncos took down the T.F. North Meteors 78-52 to secure the last spot in the semifinals of the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament.

Starting out the game on a 7-0 run, the charge was led by Rajan Roberts, Edwon Duling, and Aleks Alston. The Bronco run was broken up by a layups from Norrye Evans and Dequan Barker but momentum would not stay on their side long as a fastbreak dunk from Alston followed by a pair of free throws and another three from him would put Kenwood up by eight. Alston would rack up 10 points one block and one assist in just eight minutes of play.

After holding T.F. North to nine points in the first quarter, a monstrous second quarter came next for the Broncos as they totaled 32 points in eight minutes of play. The Meteors wouldn’t see their first points of the quarter until almost three minutes in as the Broncos jumped to a 26 point lead. Despite the fast-paced style of play the Broncos indulge in, the Meteors were able to force six turnovers in the quarter and fought to stay in the game. Through the efforts of the Meteors, a fastbreak layup from Duling would leave the Broncos up by 35 heading into halftime.

With no signs of slowing down in the second half, the Broncos kept their foot on the gas but a massive 20 point quarter from the Meteors would get them back in the game. An early three from Alston would be his last field goal of the day and bring the Broncos up by 38. Sinking his free throws off the energetic and-one, Alston would bump the Broncos to a 39 point lead. The Meteors found their rhythm on defense and soon found the offensive bursts to follow. A 12-4 run in favor of the Meteors would cut the Bronco lead down to the 30 after threes from David Hood, Dequan Barker, and Jaylen Blakes would boost the morale.

Heading into the fourth quarter still trailing by 32, the Meteors needed to find a groove. Despite holding the Broncos to a mere six points in the fourth quarter, the Meteors couldn’t get an offensive spark going and would fall to the Broncos 78-52.

This win sends the Broncos to the semifinals tomorrow, December 29^th, to face the Warren Township Blue Devils for a 7:00pm tip-off while the Meteors will face the Titans of St. John’s Jesuit at 4:00pm.

(BOX SCORE) – In a race to the finish line, the Warren Township Blue Devils ousted the St. John's Jesuit Titans in a nail-biting 60-58 finish.

St. John’s Jesuit jumped out early in the first going on a quick 5-0 run after a layup from Joseph Taylor and a three from Race Kowalcyzk put them on the board. After Warren tied things up with less than five minutes to play, layups from Jaxson Davis and Alex Daniels put the Blue Devils up by three. A back-and-forth race was closed out by a last second three from Javerion Banks with two seconds to spare to bring the Blue Devils within one to close the first quarter.

Jayden Jones got things started for the Titans in the second quarter off a three from the corner to put them up by four. Wasting no time, the Blue Devils retaliated with a three of their own where the next four made baskets would all come from behind the arc to give Warren the two point advantage. After taking hold of the lead with less than four minutes to play in the half, the Blue Devils would retain the lead for the remainder of time on the clock.

Much like the start of the game, the Titans would go on a 5-0 run to start the second half to give them the two point advantage. Buckets from Taylor amd Jalen Teamer would keep the Titans a comfortable five points ahead, but a 10-0 run from the Blue Devils would put them ahead by five with eight minutes to play.

With two lead changes and two ties in the final eight minutes, the tough fight continued for the two barbaric teams. With less than six to go in the game, a layup from Jaylen Murphy tied things up while the and-one free throw put the Titans ahead by one. A retaliation jumper from Davis put the Blue Devils ahead by one and once again, the two were in a back-and-forth battle of offense.

With the Titans trailing by four with 15 seconds to play, a big time three from Kowalcyzk brought them within one, forcing them to take a timeout. With five seconds to play and the ball in the hands of the Blue Devils, a lone made free throw from Davis his total bumped to 27 points while securing the 60-58 victory.

Despite not pulling the win, the Titans outscored the Blue Devils in the fourth quarter and saw two 10+ point scorers as Kowalcyzk tallied 23 points while Murphy tallied 17 points. On the flip side for the Blue Devils, Davis would be the high-scorer as he picked up 26 points, the third largest single-game point performance of the tournament thus far. 

 Following their victory, the Blue Devils will move on to matchup with the winner of the upcoming T.F. North/Kenwood game tomorrow, December 29^th, at 7:00pm while the Titans will face the loser of the same game tomorrow, December 29^th, at 4:00pm.

(BOX SCORE) - In a battle for a spot in the 62nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament semifinals, the Rockford Guilford Vikings and the Whitney Young Dolphins went head-to-head, resulting in a 64-62 victory for the Vikings. 

Whitney Young kicked things off after back-to-back layups from Antonio Munoz put them up early 4-0. An added free throw from Munoz’s and-one would put the Dolphins up 5-0. This run would be broken up by a layup from Connor N. Doyle before an 11-2 run in favor of the Vikings would put Guilford up by three after the first eight minutes of play. 

With the Dolphins still flipping they were able to even things up in the second quarter off a pair of free throws. Threes from Michael Jalil and Malachi Johnson would catapult the Vikings ahead by seven while a layup from Jaden Webster would put them up by as much as nine. Back-to-back layups for the Dolphins would cut that deficit down to five heading into the half. 

Keeping their lead over the Dolphins for the entirety of the third quarter, the Vikings seemingly sailed away with the game. Eight points from Johnson while shooting 2-2 from the behind the arc would keep the comfortable nine point lead for the Vikings heading into the final eight minutes. 

An opening layup from Nasir Rankin followed by a throw down from Munoz would bring the Dolphins within reach at a five point deficit. An 8-4 run in favor of the Dolphins would keep chipping away as the clock continued to run down. With less than a minute to play, a big time three from Rykan Woo would bring the Dolphins within two. Despite a Sean Brown steal seeming probable for the Dolphins, they were unable to convert and fell to the Vikings 64-62.  

With the loss, the Dolphins will take on the Proviso East Pirates game tomorrow, December 29th, at 12:30. The Vikings will move onto the semifinals tomorrow, December 29th at 5:30 to face the Lincoln Park Lions. 

(BOX SCORE) - In a battle for a spot in the 62nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament semifinals, the Lincoln Park Lions and Proviso East Pirates went head-to-head, resulting in a 69-68 win for the Lions. 

Lincoln Park struck first off a pair of free throws from Chase Turner. Proviso East picked up one free throw before Turner would add another bucket. After picking up the team’s first six points, Turner hit a dry spell and didn’t score again for the entirety of the first quarter. 

The Pirates of Proviso East heated up and jumped out to a seven point lead after a layup from Isaiah Pickens followed by a hammer down from Joaquin Dixon to electrify the crowd. 

With the Pirates jumping out to a 22-13 lead after the first quarter, the defense kicked up to a new level from the Lions. A steal and fast break layup from Semaje Howard would jumpstart things as the Lions were just getting started. They held the Pirates to a mere seven points while picking up 16 to head into the half evened at 209 apiece. The Pirates saw back-to-back buckets from Denyell Rush and then would fall stagnant until less than two minutes to play when Jerry Johnson would let a three fly from deep. 

Going on a 12-3 run, the Lions finally evened the score with less than a minute to play in the half after a Turner steal led to a Howard fastbreak layup to end the half.  

A layup from Jaylen Dickerson to start the second half would put the Lions up by two but a retaliation jumper from Rush would even things back up. As the two battled back and forth for the majority of the third quarter, a 18-2 run from the Pirates in the last three minutes would put them up by 13 to close the quarter. 

With both teams stealing momentum back-and-forth, the fight for the finish came down to the final eight minutes. 

After falling behind by a monstrous third quarter from the Pirates, the Lions would start their climb back and outscore the Pirates in the fourth quarter. Another three from Dixon would put the Pirates up by 14, but the Lions weren’t quite ready to quit as buckets from Dickerson and Turner cut their deficit down to ten. While they both continued to battle, a pair of free throws from Turner would even things up for the Lions while buckets from Turner and Larry Harris would give them their first lead of the fourth quarter. Another back-and-forth battle would even the score with less than a minute to go, but the dagger would be a last second layup from Ahmed Lee to put the Lions up by three. A pair of free throws from Ramsey Momon would bring the Pirates within one, but time would expire and the Lions would come away with the comeback victory. 

With the loss, the Pirates will take on the loser of the Rockford Guilford/Whitney Young game tomorrow, December 29th, at 12:30. The Lions will move onto the semifinals tomorrow, December 29th at 5:30 to face the winner of the Rockford Guilford/Whitney Young game.  

(BOX SCORE) – In the final game of the first session of day two of the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament, the Zion-Benton Zee-Bees and the Farragut Admirals would battle out for the last spot in the consolation bracket as the Admirals would reign victorious, 64-54.

A minute long stalemate came to an end off a jumper from Jayvon Perteet put the Zee-Bees on the board first, but Timothy Stanton answered with a steal and a three of his own to give the Farragut the one point lead. A back-and-forth battle would keep the score within one heading into the second quarter.

After starting the second quarter with a one-point advantage, the Zee-Bees would continue to press down on the gas and climb ahead by three after a pair of free throws and a three from Azariah Kennard would set them ahead by six. Continuing on their offensive spark, a pair of offensive rebounds paired with a trip to the free throw line would

With the Admirals working their way back into things, an off balance jumper from Timothy Stanton would even the score before a steal from Jordan Phillips would set up Stanton for the fastbreak layup to take the lead 21-19. The Admirals would continue to find their sweet spot on offense after a corner three from Phillips would jump them out to a seven point lead.

With the Admirals holding the eight point lead fresh into the half, the Zee-Bees would strike first after consecutive layups from Perteet and Kennard would cut their deficit down to four. A missed dunk from Jaylen James would give the ball back over to the Zee-Bees who would capitalize on a three from Kennard to make it a three point game.

A handful of offensive rebounds and a good and-one from James would hand momentum back over to the Admirals who would once again jump ahead by eight points. Going on a ten point run, the Admirals would extend their lead to 13. A trip to the charity stripe for Jayden Young-Delk would end the hot streak for the Admirals. A quick response from DeAngelo Embry as he hit back-to-back buckets to bring the Admirals up by 16.

As the Zee-Bees needed to find some mojo, a jumper from Amare Simpson would work into the mix and cut their deficit down to 12. A late three from Simpson paired with a forced turnover would give the Zee-Bees the momentum to close the game, ultimately still falling 64-54. 

With the win, the Admirals take the last spot in the consolation bracket to play the host team Proviso West Panthers tomorrow, December 29^th, at 12:30pm in the consolation semifinals. Zion-Benton will play one last game in the PWHT on December 30^th as they take on Perspectives Leadership at 12:30pm.

(BOX SCORE) – The host team Proviso West Panthers took the court for game three on day two of the Proviso West Holiday Tournament where they defeated the Perspectives Leadership Warriors 56-47. 

The host team jumped out early with a 17-11 lead after the first eight minutes of play. The Panthers saw their burst come from guard Brandale Steward who led the team with seven points, two assists, and one rebound in the first quarter.

A fast break and-one from Machi Nelson saw the Panther’s jump ahead by 14 while the three-point play brought Nelson’s total come to ten. Battling their deep deficit, the Warriors cut the lead down with buckets from Kendall Holiday, Jayden Taylor, and James Amison.

Tough Warrior defense would force the Panthers into a shotclock violation late in the half, but the Panthers would close the first 16 minutes of play with a hearty 12 point lead.

The second half of play told a different story as the Warriors found their offensive spark and cut the Proviso West lead down to three off of back-to-back threes from Jordan Dunaway. A layup from Dwayne Davis with less than a minute to play in the third quarter would make this a one point game still favoring the Panthers heading into the final eight minutes of play.

The dagger would come with under a minute to play as Yani Cortez drains two free throws to bring the Panthers up by seven.  Another trip to the charity stripe for the Panthers would help them end the game with the nine point victory.

Despite the Warriors making their climb back, the tale of the free throw line would tell the story as the Panthers finished shooting 70% from the line while the Warriors shot a mere 42.9%.

The Panthers move towards the Consolation Championship with their next game coming tomorrow, December 29^th, at 12:30pm against the winner of the Farragut/Zion-Benton matchup. The Warriors will play their final game of this tournament on Saturday, December 30^th against the loser of the Farragut/Zion-Benton matchup at 12:30pm.

(BOX SCORE) – Suffocating defense in the second half led Clarke to a consolation quarterfinal win over Austin by a 57-43 final score at the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament.

It was a back-and-forth opening quarter between Austin and Clarke. The Austin lead briefly reached four on a layup by Jeffery Hall, but Clark answered with a pair of threes, grabbing the lead on a Jevari Jackson three with 34 seconds remaining in the quarter. Hall and Jackson were the stars for both sides in the opening eight minutes, each recording eight points.

Defense ruled the second quarter, with both teams struggling to find the bottom of the hoop. Austin briefly built out a four point advantage, but a late three point play by Germery Johns and a floater as time expired by Jervari Jackson gave Clarke a 24-23 lead at the half.

Clark stepped up on both ends of the floor in the third quarter, forcing multiple turnovers, Clark was able to build up their lead up to nine with 2:11 to go in the quarter. Clarke held a 41-33 lead after the third quarter, due to going 9-12 from the free throw line and holding Austin to just 2-11 shooting in the quarter.

Clarke kept their foot on the gas in the fourth, building their lead out 14, downing Austin 57-43.

Four Clark players finished in double figures, led by Jervari Jackson with 14 (5-12 FGs). Jeffery Hall led a trio of Austin players in double figures with 13 points (5-8 FGs)

With the win, Clarke  moves to the consolation semifinals at 11:00am on Friday against the winner of Longwood. Austin  will play one final game at the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Classic against the Rauner on Saturday morning at 11:00am.

(BOX SCORE) – The Longwood Panthers (4-11) held off a late run from the Rauner Wildcats (6-4) by a final score of 48-40 to kick off day two of the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament.

The two sides got off to a sluggish start on Thursday morning. Longwood finally got the offense going late in the period, building a five point lead on a Jaden Hill jumper with 56 seconds to go in the quarter. However, Rauner was able to convert three late free throws to pull within 12-10 at the end of first.

Longwood got their offense in gear in the second. The Panthers went on an 8-0 run capped by a  Kalvin Leonard three to build a 22-14 lead with 3:04 to go in the quarter. Longwood briefly extended their advantage to ten, but a last second jumper by Yahweah Anderson cut the Panther advantage to 27-19 at the half.

Rauner battled back late in the third, cutting the Longwood advantage to five on a Roman Willis layup, but two late free throws allowed the Panthers to build their lead back to 36-29 at the end of three.

The Panthers continued to be aggressive offensively in the fourth, getting to the free throw line and converting, extending their lead back to double digits. The Wildcats worked to fight back, getting a layup with the foul from Nathan Rodriguez, cutting the defecit to seven. Longwood was able to keep Rauner at bay over the final minutes, securing the 48-40 victory.

Kalvin Leonard led the Panthers with 18 points (5-18 FG, 2-6 3FG). DeAndre Malone Jr. also finished in double figures with 10 points (3-14 FG). Yahweah Anderson led the scoring for Rauner with 15 points (4-12 FG, 7-10 FT)

With the win, Longwood moves to the consolation semifinals at 11:00am on Friday against the winner of Clark and Austin. Rauner will play one final game at the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Classic against the non-advancing team between Clark and Austin on Saturday morning at 11:00am.

(BOX SCORE) The Kenwood Broncos (8-2) came out running on Wednesday night, downing the Zion-Benton Zee-Bees (2-9) in the opening round of the 62nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament by a 102-52 final score. 

Kenwood scored 29 points in the opening quarter with 20 of those coming off turnovers. The Broncos continued to keep their foot on the gas in the second quarter, scoring 35 points on 12-19 shooting to build out a 64-25 lead at the half. 

Kenwood poured it on in the final two quarters, eclipsing the 100 point mark in the opening round of the tournament for the second straight season. 

Six players scored in double figures for the Broncos. Jaden Smith, Christopher Riddle, and Calvin Robins Jr. all had 17 points in the victory. Kenwood shot 52.1% from the floor including nine threes. Javon Perteet led the Zee-Bees with 11 points.

With the win, Kenwood moves to the championship quarterfinals on Thursday evening at 8:30pm against TF North. Zion Benton will take on Farragut at 2:00pm in a consolation quarterfinal matchup. 

(BOX SCORE) – Thornton Fractional North fought through a tough night on the offensive end of the floor to battle past Farragut Academy this evening, 54-36, in the opening round of the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament.

 Offense was tough to come by in the opening frame, with the two teams combining for just six makes on 20 attempts from the field. Jaylen James connected from beyond the three-point arc to break the seal and give Farragut a 3-0 lead with just under two minutes gone. Naeim Evans muscled up a second-chance opportunity to vault T.F. North in front, 4-3, at the 4:30 mark.  Evans finished in the painted area again with 1:26 remaining to extend the Meteors’ lead out to 11-3. DeAngelo Embry connected on a three that snapped a five-plus minute drought for the Admirals, trimming the gap to 11-6 as T.F. North ultimately held a 12-8 edge at the end of the first quarter.

 Jayden King found space inside in the opening minute of the second frame to give T.F. North a five-point edge, 14-9. Farragut continued to stay within striking distance due in part to its work on the defensive end of the floor. A James mid-range jumper again cut the margin to three, 16-13, with 3:33 to play in the first half.  Jamari Pickens split a pair of attempts at the charity stripe to claw the Admirals within two, 18-16, before two Nasir English free throws inside the final minute staked T.F. North to a 20-16 halftime lead.

 A Jaylen Blakes layup 90 seconds into the third quarter opened the scoring in the second half, extending T.F. North’s edge to 22-16.  James responded with a score at the other end of the floor on Farragut’s next possession, sparking a 7-0 run that saw the Admirals take a 23-22 lead on a Treyshon Patterson triple with 3:32 to play.  T.F. North regained control, taking off on an 11-0 run that featured five points from Evans, as the Meteors rolled into the fourth quarter with a 33-25 advantage.

 Embry hit again from distance early in the fourth quarter to again pull Farragut within eight, 36-28. English responded with a trey of his own to stretch the T.F. North lead back into double figures, 39-28, with 6:02 to play in regulation.  The Meteors would keep Farragut at bay the rest of the evening to move on to the quarterfinals.

 Evans was a force for T.F. North, finishing with 21 points (8-11 FGs, 5-5 FTs), in addition to five rebounds.  Jamari Littleton chipped in 15 points (5-14 FGs, 5-7 FTs) and a team-best seven rebounds.  James paced Farragut with 16 points (6-10 FGs, 1-3 3FGs, 3-3 FTs).

 T.F. North will move on the quarterfinals of the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament, where a date with the winner of Wednesday’s final opening-round matchup between Kenwood Academy and Zion-Benton awaits on Thursday evening at 8:30 p.m.  Farragut will see action against the non-advancing team of Wednesday’s finale in a consolation-round clash at 2 p.m. on Thursday afternoon.

(BOX SCORE) – Jaxson Davis poured in a game-high 29 points as Warren Township (12-1) downed Perspectives Leadership (6-4) by a final score of 78-52 this evening in the opening round of the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament.

 Davis drilled a corner triple just 19 seconds in to put Warren Township in front, 3-0.  Jordan Dunaway connected on a three of his own at the 4:39 mark, snapping a game-opening 7-0 run for the Blue Devils and putting Perspectives Leadership on the board, 7-3.  Davis remained red-hot as the frame wore on, hitting on three additional attempts distance to finish with 14 first-quarter points as Warren Township took a 20-6 lead into the second quarter.

 Javerion Banks converted on the Blue Devils’ first two possessions of the second frame, stretching the gap to 24-6.  The Warriors continued to battle, pulling back within 30-17 on a Landon Mathias three with 4:18 remaining in the first half.  Warren Township responded, reestablishing a 17-point lead, 34-17, on a finger roll layup from Immanuel Brown.  Banks cleaned up the rebound off a missed free throw and scored as time expired to send Warren Township into the intermission with a 41-19 advantage.

 Davis looked to pick up right he left off coming out of the locker room, driving inside to stretch the Blue Devils’ lead to 45-21 with 6:21 to play in the third quarter.  Braylon Walker buried a trio of threes in the frame, the last of which extended the margin to 56-31 with just over two minutes to play.  Davis finished at the rim on back-to-back possessions, stretching the lead to 60-34.  Warren Township coasted to the final horn from there, securing a berth in the quarterfinals.

 Davis was terrific, finishing 12-of-19 from the field, a mark that included a 4-of-8 clip from beyond the three-point arc, en route to his game-high scoring effort.  Banks added 14 points (5-10 FGs, 4-5 FTs) and ripped down a team-best seven rebounds.  Kendall Holiday put up a double-double, closing his night with 18 points (7-9 FGs, 4-7 FTs) and 11 rebounds, to lead the Warriors.

 Tonight’s victory punches Warren Township’s ticket to the quarterfinals of the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament.  The Blue Devils will square off with St. John’s Jesuit at 7 p.m. on Thursday evening.  Perspectives Leadership returns to action at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday afternoon for a consolation-round clash with host Proviso West.

(BOX SCORE) –  A big second half and 21 points from Jaylen Murphy led the St. John’s Jesuit Titans to a 69-54 win over the host Proviso West Panthers in the opening round of the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament on Wednesday afternoon.

The Titans got off to a fast start Wednesday, jumping out to a 15-6 lead just six minutes in, forcing a Panther timeout. Jaylen Murphy was hot in the quarter, scoring eight of the Titans 15 points. St. John’s Jesuit led 15-8 after the first.

The pace was much slower in the second quarter, but the Titans were able to build on their lead, building it out to double digits for the first time on a jumper by Murphy. However, Proviso West was able to close the half on an 12-2 run over the last 3:23 to pull within 29-26 at the half.

Machi Nelson led all scorers at the half with 13 points (5-11 FG). Jaylen Murphy and Race Kowalczyk each had ten first half point on 50 percent shooting.

St. John’s built their lead back out to seven to open the third quarter, getting a three from Murphy off the right wing. The Titans kept the pressure on, extending their lead back to double figures on a steal and layup by Joseph Taylor. Murphy poured in nine points in the quarter, including two threes, which powered the Titans to a 49-37 lead after three quarters.

The Titans never let their foot off the gas, building their lead out to as many as 18 in the fourth quarter, ultimately defeating the Panthers by a final score of 69-54.

With the win, St. John’s Jesuit moves to the championship quarterfinals on Thursday evening at 7:00pm against the winner of Warren and Perspectives Leadership. Proviso West will compete in the consolation quarterfinals at 12:30pm on Thursday.

(BOX SCORE) – Whitney Young (7-5) jumped all over Austin (5-5) from the opening whistle on the way to an 87-34 win this afternoon in the opening round of the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament.

 Following a Deontae Johnson jumper that opened the scoring and gave Austin a brief 2-0 lead, Nasir Rankin finished at the rim to spark a 19-0 Whitney Young run, capped off by a Marquis Clark layup that gave the Dolphins a commanding 19-2 lead with 1:23 to play in the opening frame. Another Rankin layup in the closing seconds staked Whitney Young to a 23-3 edge following the opening eight minutes of play.

 After seeing its deficit balloon to 32-3 on a Rykan Woo fastbreak triple with just under 90 seconds gone in the second quarter, Austin began to chip away. Davion Nixon connected from beyond the three-point arc to lay the foundation for a 7-0 Tigers run that trimmed the gap to 32-10 at the 4:30 mark. Zaquan Young hit on a trey of his own to cut the Whitney Young advantage to 34-13, but the Dolphins scored 13 of the half’s final 14 points to race into the locker room with a 47-14 lead.

 Cole Pruitt drained Whitney Young’s third three of the afternoon just 29 seconds into the second half, pushing the Dolphins’ lead to 50-14. Whitney Young kept its foot on the gas the remainder of the way as it rolled to an emphatic victory to advance on. 

 Woo hit on four of his five attempts from outside en route to leading all scorers with 18 points (7-8 FGs, 4-5 3FGs). Clark added 16 points (7-8 FGs, 1-1 3FGs, 1-1 FTs) for Whitney Young, which shot just over 58 percent (38-for-65) from the field and forced 18 Tiger turnovers. Jeffery Hall paced Austin with 12 points (3-11 FGs, 6-10 FTs).

 Following today’s win, Whitney Young advances on to take on Rockford Guilford in Thursday’s second quarterfinal-round matchup at 5:30 p.m. Austin will matchup with Michele Clark in consolation action at 11 a.m. on Thursday.

(BOX SCORE) – The Rockford Guilford Vikings used a decisive 12-1 run over the final five minutes of the the fourth quarter to down the Michele Clark Eagles by a 67-56 final score in the first round of the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament.

Clarke came out shooting well early, but Guilford was able to use their speed to get to the basket, tying the game at ten on a pair of free throws with 3:10 to go in the first. However, a layup by Elijah Embrey gave Clarke a 19-18 lead after the opening quarter.

The back-and-forth battle continued early in the second quarter, but a layup off a Connor Doyle steal gave Guilford the lead midway through the half. Clarke answered right back, getting a jumper from Martin Dempsey to take a 29-28 lead with 3:15 to go in the quarter. Turnovers were the story of the first half, with 21 of Guilford’s points coming off turnovers. Clarke made up for the turnovers, outrebounding Guilford by a 17-6 margin. Clarke closed the half on a 6-1 run, getting a layup from Jemerion Raines to take a 35-34 lead at the half.

Both teams were hot offensively in the first half, with both shooting over 50 percent from the field.

Guilford started the second half strong, going on a 10-2 run over 3:19 to open a 47-40 advantage. Clarke answered with a run of their own, going on a 9-2 run over the final 3:11 of the quarter to tie the game at 49.

Guilford grabbed the lead to open the fourth and extended their lead to 55-51 with 6:34 to go in the quarter on a Malachi Johnson three. Clarke continued to battle, tying the game at 55 on four straight points from Jervari Jackson. The Vikings had one final run in them, closing the game on a 12-1 run to seal the 67-56 round one victory.

Malachi Johnson led four Vikings in double figures. He finished with 15 points (5-12 FG) Branden Chatman finished with 14 points with 12 of those coming from the free throw line. Michael Jalil and Jaden Webster also finished in double figures for the Vikings. Elijah Embrey led the Eagles with 11 points (4-9 FG)

With the win, Guilford moves to the championship quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon at 5:30pm against the winner of Whitney Young and Austin. Clarke will compete in the consolation quarterfinals at 11:00am on Thursday.

(BOX SCORE) – Lincoln Park (10-3) jumped out to an early double-digit lead on its way to a 82-55 win over Longwood (3-11) this afternoon in the opening round of the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament.

 Buckets from Damian Pearson and Jaylen Peterson inside the opening two minutes got Lincoln Park off and running, 4-0. A fastbreak score from Pearson stretched the lead to 12-0 and prompted a Longwood timeout with 4:57 remaining in the first quarter. Ahmad Lee finished inside near the midway point of the frame to push the margin to 19-0 before a Kalvin Leonard layup snapped a game-opening 4:53 drought and put Longwood on the board, 19-2. The Panthers looked to find their footing on the offensive end as the quarter wore on, with an old-fashioned three-point play from Leonard trimming the gap to 25-10 at the end of the first quarter.

 Two makes at the charity stripe by Larry Harris reestablished a 19-point edge for Lincoln Park, 29-10, with 30 seconds gone in the second quarter. Leonard looked to will Longwood back into the game, rattling off eight straight points, the last two of which came on a layup that cut the Lincoln Park lead to 34-23 with just over two minutes remaining in the first half. Keyshawn Barfield muscled up an attempt in the paint to stretch the Lions’ advantage to 40-25 before a long two from Leonard as time expired made it 40-27 at halftime.

 Longwood continued to hang tough coming out of the break, with a fastbreak score by Willie Peterson pulling the Lions back within single digits, 40-31. Lincoln Park answered, as Chase Turner flushed home off a feed from Ahmad Lee to push the Lions’ lead to 45-31 and force another Longwood timeout with 6:28 to play in the third quarter. Turner went coast-to-coast to cap a 12-0 run that saw Lincoln Park’s advantage reach 62-36 as the Lions went on to book their spot in the quarterfinals.

 Semaje Howard led a quartet of Lions in double figures with 17 points (5-9 FGs, 7-10 FTs).  Barfield (6-10 FGs, 2-4 FTs) and Dickerson (6-12 FGs, 2-3 3FGs) added 14 points apiece, while Turner chipped in 11 points (5-11 FGs, 1-3 FTs). Leonard dazzled for Longwood, pouring in 32 points (11-20 FGs, 4-7 3FGs, 6-9 FTs) to lead all scorers. 

 Lincoln Park advances on to the quarterfinals of the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament, where it will battle Proviso East at 4 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. Longwood will square off against Rauner College Prep in Thursday’s opening consolation-round tilt at 9:30 a.m.

(BOX SCORE) – Proviso East battled through a sleepy start as it rolled to a 71-25 victory over Rauner College Prep this morning in the opening game of the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament.

 Offense came at a premium in the opening minutes, with the two teams combining to start just 2-of-11 (.182) from the field. Following a second-chance bucket from Yahweah Anderson that put Rauner on the board first, 2-0, with just under two minutes gone, an old-fashioned three-point play by Denyell Rush sparked an 11-0 tear, a surge capped off by a Juaquin Dixon fastbreak score that staked the Pirates to an 11-2 lead at the 2:58 mark. Proviso East kept its foot on the gas for the remainder of the frame, opening up a 16-4 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

 Isaiah Pickens cashed in on a conventional three-point play of his own to provide the exclamation point of a quarter-opening 7-0 run that pushed Proviso East’s lead to 23-4 with 6:07 remaining in the first half. Dixon finished at the rim with authority less than a minute later, stretching the gap to 28-6.  

 The Pirates’ swarming defense was on full display in the opening 20 minutes, forcing 32 Wildcat turnovers en route to taking a commanding 48-9 lead into the locker room at halftime.

 Proviso East showed no signs of slowing down following the intermission, stretching the gap to 59-15 following back-to-back driving scores by Pickens, the second of which prompted a Rauner timeout with 2:16 to play in the third quarter. A dunk from Davis as time expired saw the lead balloon to 68-16 as the Pirates coasted into Thursday’s quarterfinal round.

 Pickens paced Proviso East with a game-high 20 points (9-11 FGs, 1-2 3FGs, 1-1 FTs). Dixon also reached double figures in scoring, adding 17 points (7-15 FGs, 3-4 FTs), in addition to five rebounds and four assists. The Pirates made the most of 40 Wildcat turnovers, cashing in for 54 points on the other end of the floor. Anderson finished with eight points (1-7 FGs, 6-12 FTs) to lead Rauner.

 This morning’s victory sees Proviso East advance on to the quarterfinals of the 62^nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament. The Pirates will battle the winner of the opening-round matchup featuring Lincoln Park and Longwood on Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. Rauner will take on the non-advancing team of the aforementioned opening-round matchup at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday morning.