Tournament News

(Box Score) Paced by a double-double from Brad Blackman, Crane (7-2) defeated St. Francis de Sales (4-7) by a final score of 73-64 in the opening game of the 63^rd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament on Monday morning in Hillside, Ill.

Jamier Montgomery connected on a mid-range jumper just 17 seconds in to put the Crane on the board first, 2-0, in a first quarter where both teams struggled to gain separation. St. Francis de Sales took its first lead of the morning, 6-5, on a split at the line by Stephen George with just over two minutes gone.  Kavlin Leonard drilled a three in transition to push the Pioneers’ lead to four, 14-10, before a Trevon Hoskins free throw trimmed the St. Francis de Sales lead to 14-11 at the end of the first quarter.

Derrick Tharpe dialed in from distance to give the Pioneers their largest lead of the day, 23-15, at the 6:17 mark of the second quarter.  Jacob Thompson knocked down a trey of his own to bump the gap to seven, 30-23, but Crane continued to hang around, pulling back within three, 32-29, on a Blackman layup.  Marcus Holliburton finished inside in the closing seconds to send St. Francis de Sales into the locker room with a 34-29 edge.

With the Pioneers clinging to a 43-40 lead with three minutes to play in the third frame, Crane hit the accelerator, with another Hoskins three laying the foundation for a 9-0 Cougars’ run, a spurt punctuated by a Hoskins layup that put Crane up six, 49-43, with two minutes remaining.  Simond Chambliss stretched the margin to eight, 54-46, with a triple of his own as Crane ultimately held a 54-48 lead heading to the fourth quarter.

The Cougars seemingly had an answer for every push by the Pioneers across the final 10 minutes.  Following a three by Thompson that clawed St. Francis de Sales within two, 57-55, a pair of makes at the line by Montgomery and a jumper from Richieon Tolbert upped the gap back to six, 61-55.  An old-fashioned three-point play by George again cut the Crane lead to two, 65-63, with 3:26 to go.  That proved to be as close as St. Francis de Sales would get the rest of the way, as a Tolbert mid-range jumper sparked a game-ending 9-1 surge that propelled Crane to victory.

Blackman was a force at both ends of the floor, leading all scorers with 21 points to go along with 15 rebounds, seven blocks, and three steals.  Montgomery (14 points), Hoskins (12 points), and Chambliss (11 points) also reached double figures in scoring for Crane.  George led the way for St. Francis de Sales, finishing with 19 points, while matching Blackman on the glass with 15 rebounds

Crane advances on to the quarterfinals of the 63^rd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament on Thursday, December 26, where it will meet the winner of the matchup featuring Perspectives Leadership Academy and Zion-Benton at 4 p.m.  St. Francis de Sales will take on the non-advancing team of the aforementioned matchup at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday morning.

(Box Score) - Perspectives Leadership Academy (9-2) opened play on a 14-2 run and never looked back as it breezed past Zion-Benton (3-7) in the opening round of the 63^rd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament, 63-32, on Monday afternoon in Hillside, Ill.

Phoenix Childs got the Warriors off and running just over a minute in, hitting on one of his three first-half triples to put Perspectives Leadership in front, 3-0.  Following a Kenneth Alexander layup that trimmed the margin to 3-2, a driving score by Childs sparked an 11-0 run that saw the Warriors open up a 14-2 lead on a Tristan Howard fast break bucket with 2:52 to play.  Liiban Debela capped off the frame in style for Perspectives Leadership, knocking down a three as time expired to stretch the gap to 17-4.

Debela picked up right where he left off to begin the second quarter, connecting again from outside to push the margin to 20-4.  Andrew Mitchell looked to provide the Zee-Bees a spark, hitting on a jumper that trimmed the Perspectives Leadership to lead to 20-8 with 90 seconds gone.  That proved to be as close as Zion-Benton would get for the remainder of the half, with another Childs trey sending the Warriors into halftime with a commanding 40-17 lead.

Childs stayed red-hot from beyond the three-point arc coming out of the locker room, hitting on a pair of threes near the midway point of the third quarter, the second of which Perspectives Leadership’s advantage balloon to 53-19 with 3:25 remaining.  The Warriors cruised to the finish line from there, punching their ticket to Thursday’s quarterfinals.

Debela led the way for Perspectives Leadership, hitting on five of his nine tries from outside en route to leading all scorers with 19 points.  Childs knocked own five treys of his own on the way to adding 17 points for the Warriors, who held Zion-Benton to just XX percent shooting from the field.  Jayden Young-Delk paced the Zee-Bees with 10 points.

Perspectives Leadership Academy will take on Crane in the quarterfinals of the 63^rd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament at 4 p.m. on Thursday, December 26, while Zion-Benton will matchup against St. Francis de Sales in the day’s opening consolation-round tilt at 9:30 a.m.

 (Box Score) – Behind a balanced scoring attack, the Proviso East Pirates defeated the Southland Eagles 59-56 in the opening round of the 63^rd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament on Monday afternoon in Hillside, Ill.

Ramsey Momon (11), Isaiah Pickens (16), Marcellous Brown (10), and Jerry Johnson (12) all scored in double figures for the Pirates, who shot 42.6 percent (23-54) from the floor. Johnson also pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds to notch a double-double. David Shaw led the Eagles with a game high 33 points on 12-28 shooting. He knocked down seven threes in the game.

Southland scored the opening five points of the contest, but an 11-0 run for Proviso East would get the Pirates off and running. Proviso East extended the lead to six on a layup by Damon Jones with 1:35 to go in the quarter. The Pirates kept building, extending the lead to ten on a layup by Anthony Anderson then to 13 before the quarter ended on a three by Jerry Johnson. Proviso East led 22-9 after the first quarter.

Southland clawed their way back early in the fourth, cutting the Pirate lead to 23-17 on a three by Shaunn Cooper Jr. Proviso East built the lead back out to 13, but five straight points to end the period by David Shaw cut the Proviso East lead to 30-22 at the half.

Proviso East came out on fire to begin the second half, going on a 6-0 run that was capped off by a Ramsey Mormon layup to extend the lead to 36-22. The Pirates held that lead throughout the period and led 46-33 at the end of three quarters.

Southand kept fighting in the fourth, going on a quick run midway through the quarter to pull back within 50-41 with 5:03 remaining. Shaw kept inching Southland closer, hitting a three with 13 seconds left to pull the Eagles back within three. He had a shot to tie the game at the buzzer, but it was off target, securing the 59-56 win for Proviso East.

Proviso East advances to the quarterfinals of the 63^rd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament on Thursday, December 26, where it will meet the winner of the matchup featuring Lincoln Park and CICS Longwood at 5:30pm. Southland will take on the non-advancing team at 11:00am.

 (Box Score) – Lincoln Park had eight different players score in a 67-29 victory over Longwood in the opening round of the 63^rd Annual Proviso West Holiday Classic on Monday afternoon in Hillside, Ill.

Jaylen Dickerson (11), Ahmad Lee (12), Chayse Turner (16), and Larry Harris III (11) all scored in double figures for Lincoln Park. Lincoln Park shot 23-57 from the floor and made 20 free throws. Longwood was paced by Kahlil Leanard with 12 points on 6-12 shooting.

Keyshawn Barfield scored the opening points of the game for Lincoln Park and they were off to the races, building up a 10-2 lead over the first four minutes of the quarter.  Longwood cut the Lincoln Park lead to just four with 2:12 to go in the quarter, but Kaydin Williams was able to drain a jumper to give Lincoln Park a 14-8 lead after the opening ten minutes.

Lincoln Park continued their offensive dominance in the second quarter, building their lead to double figures under three minutes in. Lincoln Park kept their foot on the gas, extending their lead to 20 on a three point play from Lary Harris III. Harris III had 11 points on 4-5 shooting in the second quarter. Lincoln Park led 34-15 at the half.

Jaylen Dickerson extended the Lincoln Park lead to 30 in the third. The lead continued to balloon, reaching 41 on a Chayse Turner layup with 58 second to go in the third period. Lincoln Park led 61-20 at the end of three. 21 of their points in the quarter came off of Longwood turnovers.

Lincoln Park continued to cruise in the fourth, securing the 67-29 win.

Lincoln Park will take on Proviso East in the quarterfinals of the 63^rd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament at 5:30pm on Thursday, December 26, while Longwood will matchup against Southland on Thursday at 11:00am.

(Box Score) - Whitney Young (7-4) jumped out to an early double-digit lead and never looked back, cruising to a 60-42 win over Michele Clark (5-5) on Monday afternoon in the opening round of the 63^rd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament in Hillside, Ill.

Gabe Aragon got Whitney Young on the board first just over a minute in, connecting from beyond the three-point arc to make it 3-0.  Michele Clark responded with back-to-back buckets, with a Marquis Smith fast break score edging the Eagles in front, 4-3.  After going back on top, the Dolphins closed the opening frame with a flurry, rattling off the quarter’s final six points to take a 16-8 lead.

Whitney Young carried over momentum into the second quarter, with threes from Zaire Green and Damajay Richardson providing the bookends to a 16-0 Dolphins’ run that saw the lead balloon to 32-8 at the 4:07 mark.  Anthony Brooks converted in traffic to snap a near nine-minute drought without a make from the field for Michele Clark, trimming the Whitney Young lead to 32-11 with 2:35 remaining.  Richardson capped off the half with second bucket of the half in the closing seconds to send Whitney Young into halftime with a commanding 38-15 advantage.

After seeing Whitney Young’s lead grow to 46-20 in the middle stages of the third quarter, Michele Clark slowly chipped away, clawing back within 14 on a pair of separate occasions in the fourth quarter.  Following an Elijah Embrey layup that made it 53-39, Richardson answered back with a bucket at the other end of the floor to up the lead to 55-39 as the Dolphins ultimately coasted to the final horn.

Richardson led all scorers on the day with 19 points, while also dishing out a game-high six assists.  Alijah Little added 16 points and was a pest on the defensive end, recording three steals.  Antonio Munoz chipped in 12 points and ripped down 12 boards en route to a double-double.  Munoz also tallied three blocks.  Embrey put up 15 points to pace Michele Clark on the offensive end.

Whitney Young awaits the winner of the matchup between Warren Township and Walther Christian Academy in Thursday’s third quarterfinal at 7 p.m.  Michele Clark drops into the consolation side of the bracket, where it will face off against the non-advancing team in the Warren Township and Walther Christian Academy game at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday afternoon

(Box Score) - Warren Township (7-2) jumped all over Walther Christian Academy (3-5) from the opening whistle on the way to an 88-27 victory on Monday evening in the first round of the 63^rd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament in Hillside, Ill.

After a Branden Pettigrew three gave the Broncos a brief 3-0 lead, Warren Township hit the accelerator, with a Jaxson Davis layup sparking a 16-0 Blue Devils’ run that included a pair of Jack Wolf treys.  Zach Ausburn provided the exclamation point on the surge, finishing with authority to give Warren Township a 16-3 lead at the 3:28 mark.  Davis added a pair of fast break buckets inside the final 90 seconds, the second of which staked the Blue Devils to a 20-7 edge at the end of the opening frame.

Another Davis score saw the Warren Township lead grow to 29-8 early on in the second quarter before two Wolf makes at the charity stripe pushed the gap to 42-12 with three minutes remaining.  The Blue Devils continued their barrage from outside, as threes in the closing minute from Javin Griffin and Jarren Glover, respectively, stretched the margin to 50-14 at halftime.

Griffin drove inside and converted with just over two minutes gone in the third quarter to push Warren Township’s lead to 56-16.  Ausburn attacked the offensive glass and finished to push the Blue Devils’ advantage to 68-18 at the 2:45 mark of the frame.  Warren Township continued to press ahead, lifting its lead above the 60-point plateau en route to a dominant victory.

Davis paced a quartet of Blue Devils to score in double figures with a game-high 18 points, in addition to dishing out a game-best six assists.  Ausburn added 16 points and seven rebounds, while Avonn King contributed 12 points and matched Ausburn on the glass, ripping down seven caroms.  Wolf knocked down a pair of threes as part of a 10-point showing.  Pettigrew finished with 10 points to lead Walther Christian, which was held to just under 30 percent shooting from the field and committed 31 turnovers.

Warren Township will take on Whitney Young at 7 p.m. on Thursday evening in the quarterfinals of the 63^rd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament.  Walther Christian Academy will turn its attention towards a tilt with Michele Clark on Thursday afternoon at 12:30 p.m.

(Box Score) - Led by a trio of players to score in double figures, Rockford Guilford (10-1) punched its ticket to the quarterfinals of the 63^rd Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament, defeating Marshall (4-5) by a final count of 70-51 in an opening round matchup on Monday evening in Hillside, Ill.

Rockford Guilford jumped out in front early, taking a 5-0 lead following a transition three from Jaden Webster.  Back-to-back Darrin Laye treys sent Marshall on top for the first time, 6-5, with just over two minutes gone.  After a Mykhai Meeks layup trimmed Rockford Guilford’s lead to 13-11, the Vikings closed the first quarter on a 7-0 run, a spurt capped off by a Branden Chatman triple that stretched the gap to 20-11 after the opening eight minutes of play.

Chatman went right back to work in the second frame, finishing at the rim in the opening minute to push Rockford Guilford’s lead into double digits, 22-11.  The margin reached 17 just past the midway point of the quarter when Jeremiah Ezeofor finished in the paint to make it 31-14.  Laye looked to give the Commandos a boost heading into the intermission as he converted with time expiring to cut the Rockford Guilford lead to 38-23 at halftime.

Marshall continued to hang tough in the third quarter, pulling within 13 on three separate occasions, but was unable to move within striking distance as Rockford Guilford held a 56-37 advantage heading to the final frame.

Woods Jr. scored just 15 seconds into the fourth quarter, a bucket that stretched the Vikings’ lead to 58-37.  Marshall would get no closer than 19 the rest of the way, as Rockford Guilford secured safe passage into the quarterfinals.

Chatman finished with an impressive line of 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals to lead the way for Rockford Guilford.  Webster contributed 12 points, while Woods Jr. added 10 points of his own for the Vikings, who enjoyed a dominant 50-16 edge in points in the paint.  Laye dazzled for Marshall, connecting on four triples as he poured in a game-high 21 points.   

Rockford Guilford will meet the winner of Monday’s final opening round game between host Proviso West and Farragut on Thursday at 8:30 p.m.  Marshall is set to square off against the non-advancing team from the aforementioned opening round tilt at 2 p.m. on Thursday afternoon.

(Box Score) - For the first time since 2021, host Proviso West (3-2) finds itself with a date in the quarterfinal round of the Proviso West Holiday Tournament following a 67-40 win over Farragut (2-8) on Monday evening in the final opening round matchup of the 63^rd edition of the event in Hillside, Ill.

Alec Ford sent the hosts racing out of the gate, rattling off five quick points to stake Proviso West to a 5-0 lead with 5:33 to play.  Farragut closed within three, 7-4, on a DeAngelo Embry jumper at the 3:39 mark, but the Pirates scored seven of the frame’s final nine points, the last four of which came from Justin Bowen Jr., to take an eight-point lead, 14-6, at the end of the opening frame.

Proviso West didn’t skip a beat in the second quarter, taking off on a 12-0 run, punctuated by an old-fashioned three-point play from Machi Nelson that saw the lead balloon to 26-8 with 3:38 remaining.  Farragut refused to go away without a fight, as it rattled off nine unanswered points to pull within nine, 26-17, following a split at the charity stripe by Timothy Stanton.  Bowen Jr. capped off the half in style for the hosts when he crashed the offensive glass and scored as time expired to give Proviso West a 28-17 advantage at halftime.

After seeing Proviso West extend its lead back out to 17 on an Alec Ford layup that made it 34-17, Farragut again looked to battle back, trimming the deficit to 34-22 on a Latrell Kelley score.  With the margin sitting at 38-26, the Pirates effectively put the game out of reach as they closed the third quarter on a 12-2 tear, with Dartrell Smith’s layup with only 11 seconds to go stretching the gap to 48-28 at the end of the third quarter.

Farragut would get no closer than 20 during the fourth quarter, as Proviso West moved on to Thursday’s quarterfinal round.

Ford finished with a game-high 16 points to lead the way for Proviso West on the evening.  Bowen Jr. put together an impressive 12-point, 12-rebound showing, while Smith fell just shy of a double-double of his own, contributing 13 points and eight rebounds.  Embry (15 points) and Kelley (13 points) both scored in double figures for Farragut.

Proviso West will look to protect its home floor when it battles Rockford Guilford in Thursday’s fourth and final quarterfinal-round game at 8:30 p.m.  Farragut will look to respond against Marshall in consolation action at 2 p.m. on Thursday afternoon.