Tournament News

Tournament MVP: Daniel Johnson – Whitney Young

First Team All-Tournament Team:

1.     Daniel Johnson – Whitney Young

2.     Morez Johnson – St. Rita

3.     Darrin Ames – Kenwood Academy

4.     Nojus Indrusaitis – St. Rita

5.     Aleks Alston – Kenwood Academy

Second Team All-Tournament Team:

1.     Dauntrel Dixon – Bogan

2.     James Brown – St. Rita

3.     Jevan Warren – T.F. North

4.     Rajan Roberts – Proviso West

5.     Bryce Coleman – Proviso East

(BOX SCORE) – In a rematch of last year’s championship game, Whitney Young exacted revenge over Kenwood Academy, 58-55, to claim the 61^st Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament title.

The victory marks the sixth Proviso West Holiday Tournament title in Whitney Young history, having most recently won the championship in 2016.

Daniel Johnson led a balanced Whitney Young offense, scoring a team-high 16 points. Dalen Davis scored 11 and Antonio Munoz added 10 as six Dolphin players accounted for all 58 points. Kenwood was led by Darrin Ames (14 points) and Calvin Robins Jr. (14), who accounted for 38 of the 55 points.

Trailing 4-2 in the early going, Whitney Young scored nine unanswered points to force a timeout by the Broncos. A Dolphin bucket out of the timeout pushed the run to 11 in a row, as four different Whitney Young players scored during the push. After Whitney Young pushed the lead to nine in the opening quarter, back-to-back jumpers by Calvin Robins Jr. cut the Kenwood deficit to five after the opening quarter of play.

Whitney Young regained the momentum at the start of the second quarter, scoring the first five points of the frame off a jumper from Daniel Johnson and a corner 3-pointer by Damajay Richardson. The points were a sign of things to come, as Whitney Young outscored Kenwood by six in the second quarter, and led by as many as 18 points, to take a 32-21 lead into the halftime break.

The Dolphin defense caused fits for the Broncos the entire first half as Kenwood was held to just 33.3% shooting from the field and 0-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Whitney Young, who shot 53.8% from the floor in the opening 16 minutes of action, was led by 11 first-half points from Daniel Johnson as six of the seven Dolphin players who saw minutes in the first half scored at least two points.

Kenwood started to chip away at the Whitney Young lead, turning a 38-24 deficit at the 5:22 mark down to just two with 2:35 left in the third quarter following a Tyler Smith corner triple. The two teams would trade baskets down the stretch, with Whitney Young taking a 46-44 lead into the final quarter.

The Broncos thrived inside the arc in the third, going 7-for-9 (77.8%) on 2-point field goal attempts. A trio of Kenwood players, Tyler Smith, Darrin Ames and Calvin Robins Jr., all had six points each in third, as Kenwood limited Whitney Young to just 4-for-12 shooting in the frame.

After Whitney Young weathered the third-quarter run, scoring six of the first seven points of the fourth to push the lead back to seven, Kenwood countered with six unanswered to pull within one at 52-51 with 3:44 left to play. The one-point deficit was the closest Kenwood had been to Whitney Young since the Dolphins led 4-2 in the opening quarter.

The Broncos got within one two more times in the next two minutes, but each time Whitney Young was able to push the advantage back to three. Whitney Young burned timeout with 53.1 left in the game, holding onto a slim 58-55 lead. Kenwood got the defensive stop it was looking for, but Kenwood’s Darrin Ames’ 3-pointer with six seconds left was off the mark. A tip-in effort fell short, and Whitney Young hauled in the board to clinch the title.

(BOX SCORE) – In one of the most closely contested contests of the 61^st Proviso West Holiday Tournament, Proviso East was able to prevail over St. Rita by a final score of 66-61 in overtime to earn third place. 

The first quarter was back and forth between the two schools, with each side building a five-point lead at one point in the quarter. St. Rita had the momentum early, grabbing a 7-2 lead on a pair of free throws by Nojus Indrusaitis. Proviso East fought their way back into the game, closing the quarter on a 13-6 run to take a 17-12 lead after one quarter of play. 

St. Rita slowly clawed their way back to tie the game at 21 with 5:28 to go in the second quarter. The game stayed a one possession game the rest of the quarter, with St. Rita getting a late basket from Graham Lathan to take a 32-31 lead at the half. St. Rita shot 49.9% from the field in the first half, with Indrusaitis and Morez Johnson scoring in double figures. Proviso East shot 39.3% in the first half and knocked down five threes. Seven different Pirates scored in the half, and they were led by Jaloni Johnson and Bryce Coleman with eight points.

Proviso East tied the fast-paced contest on the second possession of the third quarter. St. Rita was able to rip off a 5-0 run to regain the lead at 39-34 with 6:14 to go in the quarter, but the Pirates got five straight points from Jaloni Johnson, including a deep three from the left wing to tie the game. The two teams continued the back-and-forth affair, but late baskets by Juaquin Dixon and Jaloni Johnson gave Proviso East a 49-45 lead after three quarters of play. 

The Mustangs came roaring right back to open the fourth. An 8-0 run over the opening 4:32 of the quarter turned a four point deficit to a two point lead for St. Rita. The lead wouldn’t hold up for St. Rita, as Proviso East was able to knock down back-to-back threes to pull the game even with 2:44 to go. St. Rita held the lead late again on a Indrusaitis layup, but Dixson was able to finish off a putback layup to tie the game with 19 second to go, which ultimately forced overtime. 

Dixon scored the opening basket of the overtime period, giving the Pirates a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. In total Proviso East outscored St. Rita 7-2 in the overtime period to clinch third place by a 66-61 final score. 

With the win Proviso East finishes in third place with a 3-1 record at the 61^st Proviso West Holiday Tournament, which is the best finish for the Pirates since 2012.  St. Rita finishes fourth with a 2-2 record. 

(BOX SCORE) – Hammond Central used a 10-0 opening run to win the fifth-place trophy at the 61^st Proviso West Holiday Tournament over the Fenwick Friars by a final score of 56-42.

The Wolves got off to a hot start in the fifth-place game, scoring the first ten points of the contest, with the run being capped off by a fastbreak layup by Jordan Woods. Hammond Central kept the pace up, giving themselves a 17-8 lead after the opening quarter of play. 

The second quarter was much more even, with Hammond Central only able to extend their lead to 29-18 on a late field goal. The Wolves shot 34.3% in the first half to 30% for Fenwick. Seven different players scored in the first half for Hammond Central. Ty Macariola had eight first half points for Fenwick. 

Hammond Central was able to pad their advantage in the third. Matthew King scored seven points in the third quarter. The Wolves scored the final five points of the quarter to extend their lead to 46-30.

Fenwick cut the Hammond Central lead to single digits with 3:09 to go, but were unable to get any closer, falling by a final score of 56-42

Hammond Central finishes the 61^st Proviso West Holiday Tournament in fifth place with a record of 3-1. This is the second straight fifth place finish for the Wolves. Fenwick finishes the tournament with a 2-2 record. 

(BOX SCORE) – Michele Clark used a key second-half run and survived a late Bogan comeback attempt to win the consolation title at the 61^st Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament with a 67-64 victory.

Cordy Johnson was 1-of-4 Michele Clark players to score in double figures, scoring a team-high 20 points, while Katrell Weekley (15), Guyton Morris (12) and Elijah Embrey (10) all scored in double figures. Bogan’s Dauntrell Dixon led all scorers with a game-high 25 points, including five 3-pointers.

Michele Clark opened the game on a 9-2 scoring spurt, forcing an early timeout by Bogan. Eight first-quarter points by Katrell Weekley helped the Eagles take a 19-12 lead into the second quarter.

Bogan’s Dauntrell Dixon had a personal 5-0 scoring run in the span of 25 seconds to pull the Bengals within two at 21-19 with 4:45 left in the second quarter. Michele Clark held a six-point lead heading into the break behind an effective 52.2% shooting from inside the arc.

Dixon drilled a 3-pointer coming out of the halftime break, and Bogan would outscore Michele Clark by a 13-6 to start the second half to take its first lead of the game at 36-3 with 4:14 remaining in the third. After the Bengals built the lead to three points, Michele Clark responded with a 10-1 run. Cordy Johnson sparked the run, scoring six of the 10 points, as the Eagles took a six-point lead into the fourth quarter.

Michele Clark kept the momentum going into the fourth quarter, starting the quarter on an 8-2 scoring advantage to build a game-high 12-point lead. Bogan looked to claw back late, scoring seven unanswered to trim the deficit to five with 1:06 to play.

Bogan’s Tarell Harding drilled a 3-pointer with two seconds left to get the Bengals within two, but Katrell Weekly split a pair of free throws to seal the three-point victory.

(BOX SCORE) - Kicking off the final day of the 61st Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament, the Crete-Monee Warriors took on the Southland College Prep Eagles as both teams battled for their first win of the tournament.

As Southland took a six-point advantage in the first two minutes, the Warriors kicked things up a notch and held the Eagles to only three points for the remainder of the quarter while picking up 14 themselves. A fast-paced Warrior offense continued to break down the Eagles’ defense as Bryce Lindsey dominated inside the paint. A corner three from Gabryel Patterson brought the Eagles within one, but a retaliation layup from Miles Gillespie kept the Warriors on top for the remainder of the half until a layup from Amari Beacham as the buzzer went off tied things up. The Warriors forced the Eagles to 12 turnovers in the first half alone compared to the two themselves. 

Second-half play continued to be the Warriors’ game as they jumped to a 21-point lead during the fourth quarter, their largest of the day. Gillespie’s 30 points on 13-20 shooting from the field paved the way for the Warriors to secure their lone win of the tournament, 66-48.

In addition to the Warriors forcing 25 overall turnovers, they were able to get to the free-throw line an astonishing 28 times compared to the Eagles’ five while shooting 42.2% from the floor.

(BOX SCORE) - In the final game of day three of the PWHT, the Kenwood Academy Broncos took down the Proviso East Pirates in a dominating 78-50 win. 

The Broncos jumped out to an early 7-0 lead after Aleks Alston knocked down a three within the first minute. This would only foreshadow the following threes that Alston would continue to knock down as he went 5-9 from behind the three-point line. As the clock ticked down, the Broncos kicked it up. Picking up 35 points in the first quarter, the Broncos seemingly locked down the game.

Fresh out of the half, the Pirates came out with vengeance. A layup from Bryce Coleman layup would break their dry-spell and lead their 18-point quarter. With a new fire lit underneath them, Kenwood would take charge in the fourth and run away with the game. The Broncos closed the game shooting 48.3% from the field while working harder on the glass than the Pirates as they picked up 50 rebounds to their opponent’s 29.

Kenwood Academy now heads to the tournament championship where they’ll face a rematch from last year’s tournament against the Whitney Young Dolphins at 7:00 pm. Proviso East will duke it out for third place against St. Rita at 5:30 pm.

(BOX SCORE) – Whitey Young was outscored by nine points in the second half, but hung on to defeat St. Rita’s 68-66 on Wednesday evening. The Dolphins await the winner of tonight’s matchup between Proviso East and Kenwood in the title game on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Whitney Young (10-5) led by as many as 17 points midway through the third quarter, but St. Rita closed the gap to trail by only two points with 48 seconds left. The Mustangs’ Morez Johnson converted on a layup and was fouled, missed the free throw, and was immediately followed by James Brown converting an old fashioned three-point play on a stick back to make the score, 68-66.

St. Rita’s 37-20 rebounding edge and 15 offensive boards, which the Mustangs capitalized into 22 second chance points, kept them in the game.

Daniel Johnson scored a game-high 25 points for the Dolphins on 8-for-12 shooting and a 4-for-7 mark from long range. He also tied Marcus Pigram for the team-lead pulling down six boards.

Morez Johnson led St. Rita with 20 points on 8-for-16 shooting and also grabbed 11 boards for a double-double. James Brown also had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Whitey Young raced out to 34-28 halftime lead with Johnson’s 15 points leading the way. The Dolphins shot 54.2% (13-for-24) from the field and pumped in 24 points in the second quarter. Clutch free throw shooting aided the Dolphins as they shot 92.9% from the charity stripe (13-for-14).

St. Rita will face the loser of Proviso East and Kenwood in the third place game tomorrow night at 5:30 p.m.

(BOX SCORE) - In a do-or-die matchup at the 61st Annual PWHT between the T.F. North Meteors and the Fenwick Friars, the Friars came out on top 51-50.

T.F. North jumped out to a 6-0 run after back-to-back threes from Jayden Small and Jaylen Blakes, but a retaliation layup from Darshan Thomas put the Friars on the board. The Friars locked in defensively and shut down the Meteors before pulling ahead to take the lead in the last minute of the quarter off a bucket from Thomas. A jumper from the corner from Ty Macariola as the clock expired extended the Friar’s lead to three. 

After the Fenwick defense locked down early in the second quarter, the Meteors found their spark within the last three minutes as they tied things up off a three from Small. A pair of free throws and a layup from from Jevon Warner put the Meteors up by three after 16 minutes of play.

The Meteors saw their largest lead during the early third quarter as they jumped out to a seven point lead off a jumper from Christopher Cook. Minutes later the Friars cut the lead back to one after a layup from Thomas with two minutes to play in the third. A layup from Zion Young tied the game back up but the go-ahead bucket for the Friars came within the last 30 seconds as Dominick Ducree laid one in.

As the final eight minutes kicked off the Meteors went to work and forced four turnovers in the first two mintues while going on a 6-0 run. A layup from Young cut the lead to two while an and-one from Thomas would put the Friars back on top with five minutes to play. As the game became a monster case of back-and-forth, the Meteors would jump ahead to another five point lead with less than two minutes to play. A jumper from Macariola paired with his set of free throws followed by a layup from Damion Porter Jr. with 20 seconds to play would give Fenwick the lead and the eventual win.

The Friars will head on to face Hammond Central on Thursday December 29th at 4:00 pm in a battle for fifth place.

(BOX SCORE) – Hammond Central used a big second quarter to race past Lincoln Park 71-60 at the 61^stProviso West Holiday Tournament. With the win the Wolves advance to the fifth-place game on Thursday afternoon. 

Hammond Central grabbed the early momentum, opening the game on a 10-2 run. However, Lincoln Park was able to fight back into the contest, getting a late three from Ahmad Lee to pull the Lions with 16-14 at the end of the first quarter. 

The Wolves grabbed complete control of the contest in the second quarter. Hammond Central closed the first half on a 16-2 run while outscoring Lincoln Park 27-9 in the quarter to build up a 43-23 advantage. Kenneth Grant led the Wolves with ten first half points on 3-5 shooting. He also had four rebounds.

Hammond Central continued to add onto their advantage in the third quarter, building their lead to 26 points with 1:30 to go in the quarter. Lincoln Park outscored Hammond Central 22-10 in the fourth, but it was not enough falling 71-60. 

The Wolves shot 55.1% for the game and were led by Kenneth Grant with 13 points. Lincoln Park shot 40.4% for the game and were let by Jalen Calloway with 16 points. 

With the win Hammond Central advances to the fifth-place game Thursday at 4:00pm against the winner of TF North and Fenwick. Lincoln Park closes their run at the 61^st Proviso West Holiday Tournament with a record of 1-2.

(BOX SCORE) - Trailing by two, Michele Clark utilized a 5-0 spurt midway through the fourth quarter, to grab the lead for good to defeat Farragut 48-38 on Wednesday afternoon. The Eagles advance to play Bogan in the consolation bracket final on Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m.

Cordy Johnson scored a game-high 13 points for Clark and drilled the team’s only two treys. Elijah Embry had a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

Michele Clark clung to a 22-20 lead at halftime and held Farragut to a 28.0% (7-for-25) mark from the floor in the opening half. Farragut raced out to an early lead and held its largest lead of the game at eight with 3:35 to play in the first period.

The Eagles defense was exceptional in the fourth quarter as Clark outscored Farragut 15-6 and led by as many as 12 points.

Neither team found its rhythm offensively as Clark shot 34% (18-for-53) from the field and Farragut was limited to a 26% (13-for-50) clip. The game was played predominately in the halfcourt as only 10 combined fastbreak points were scored. Each team committed 14 turnovers.

Jamari Pickens led Farragut with 15 points. As a team, the Admirals swatted a tournament-high 11 shots.

(BOX SCORE) – In a closely contested contest from start to finish, it was the Bogan Bengals who were able to prevail over the Proviso West Panthers in the first consolation semifinal contest of the 61^st Annual Proviso West Holiday Classic by a final score of 79-71

The two sides battled closely all day long, with the game featuring _ ties and _ lead changes. Proviso West had the advantage much of the first quarter, building their lead to as many as eight on a Drake Washington layup with 2:33 to go in the quarter. 

Bogan quickly pulled back even early in the second quarter, tying the game at 18 on a Dauntrell Dixon free throw with 7:43 to go. The rest of the quarter featured a one possession game, with Bogan taking a four-point lead for less than 20 seconds. Proviso West was able to get a late three by Rajan Roberts to take a 33-31 lead into the half. 

The third quarter was much like the second, with the two sides going back and forth in a one possession game. The game was tied at 57 at the end of three quarters of play. Bogan grabbed momentum in the fourth with a 6-0 run that built up a 65-59 lead with 4:52 to go. Proviso West was unable to rally, falling by a final score of 79-71. 

With the win Bogan moves on to the consolation championship and will take on the winner of Michele Clark and Farragut on Thursday afternoon at 2:00pm. Proviso West finishes the 61^st Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament with a record of 1-2. 

(BOX SCORE) Kenwood Academy shot 47 percent (25-for-53) from the field as it led from the onset in a 70-44 victory over Fenwick in the quarterfinals of the 61^st Annual Proviso West Holiday Classic on Tuesday evening.

Aleks Alston and Tyler Smith each connected from beyond the three-point arc in the opening 90 seconds to quickly vault Kenwood Academy in front, 6-0.  Fenwick got on the board, 6-1, through a split at the free line by Damion Porter Jr. before the Broncos added seven unanswered points, the last three of which came on conventional three-point play by Edwon Duling Jr. that stretched the margin to 13-1 with 3:05 to play.  The Friars countered with a quarter-ending 8-0 spurt, capped off by a Porter Jr. trey in the closing seconds that pulled Fenwick back within six, 15-9.

Fenwick continued its push early in the second quarter, cutting the gap to three, 19-16, on a Ty Marcariola triple with two minutes gone.  Kenwood Academy caught fire from distance in the minutes following, with Calvin Robins Jr. hitting from distance before back-to-back threes from Alston quickly bumped the Broncos’ lead back into double digits, 28-16.  A fastbreak score by Duling Jr. with only 26 seconds to play in the half sent Kenwood Academy racing into the locker room with a commanding 36-18 lead.

Kenwood Academy carried momentum from its strong finish to the first half into the third quarter, building a 56-24 lead on another three-point field goal by Alston with 2:45 to play in the frame.  Two makes at the line by Darrin Ames early on in the fourth quarter gave the Broncos their largest lead of the night, 70-34, as Kenwood Academy coasted into the semifinal round.

Alston was red-hot from distance, connecting on eight threes as part of a game-high 24-point showing (8-11 FGs, 8-11 3FGs) that saw him lead a quarter of Broncos to score in double figures.  Darshan Thomas paced Fenwick with 16 points (6-11 FGs, 4-6 FTs).

Kenwood Academy will battle Proviso East in Wednesday evening’s second semifinal, which is slated to tip-off at 7 p.m.  Fenwick and Thornton Fractional North will meet at 4 p.m. on Wednesday with a spot in the fifth-place game on the line.

(BOX SCORE) Proviso East used a dominant second-half performance to create separation as it dealt Thornton Fractional North its first loss of the season, 74-60, this evening in the quarterfinals of the 61^st Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament.

Proviso East couldn’t have scripted a better start, as the Pirates raced out to a 6-0 lead following a Byron Pullen layup with less than two minutes gone.  After Jaylen Blakes finished inside to get T.F. North on the board, Emory Marshall drained a corner three before Bryce Coleman flushed home to stretch the Proviso East lead to 11-2 and force a Meteors’ timeout with 4:40 remaining.  T.F. North responded out of the stoppage, closing within six, 15-9, at the end of the first quarter.

The Pirates struggled to find any rhythm on the offensive end early in the second frame, going scoreless for the first 2:41 of the quarter.  A Jevon Warren layup 30 seconds in saw T.F. North trim the lead to four, 15-11.  An old-fashioned three-point play from Coleman looked to get Proviso East back on track, reestablishing a seven-point edge, 20-13, but the Meteors refused to go away, taking their first lead of the night, 25-24, on two Braxton Willingham makes at the charity stripe with just over two minutes to play in the first half.  Jaloni Johnson provided a near immediate response for the Pirates, converting on a four-point play that laid the foundation for a half-ending 9-2 surge that staked Proviso East to a 34-27 halftime lead.

An Emory Marshall second-chance bucket just over 90 seconds into the second half saw Proviso East stretch the gap to nine, 38-29, and prompted a T.F. North timeout.  The Pirates kept their foot on the gas, with a conventional three-point play from Coleman pushing the margin to 43-29 as part of what would be a 10-0 tear that saw lead balloon to 46-29 near the midway point of the third quarter. 

Staring at a 58-39 deficit to begin the fourth quarter, T.F. North attempted to find a route back into the game, opening the frame with a 6-0 spurt that clawed the Meteors back within 58-45.  That proved to be the extent of the comeback, as Proviso East slammed the door shut and punched its ticket to Wednesday’s semifinals.

Jaloni Johnson led the Pirates with 17 points (3-10 FGs, 1-7 3FGs, 10-12 FTs), while Coleman (6-12 FGs, 3-4 FTs) and Marshall (4-8 FGs, 1-2 3FGs, 6-6 FTs) added 15 points apiece.  Warren poured in 27 points (9-17 FGs, 9-15 FTs) for T.F North to lead all scorers in addition to ripping down a game-best 11 rebounds.

By virtue of its victory tonight, Proviso East advances on to Wednesday’s second semifinal, where it will battle the winner of the quarterfinal-round matchup between Fenwick and Kenwood Academy in a 7 p.m. tip-off.  T.F. North will meet the loser of the Fenwick/Kenwood Academy tilt at 4 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon.

(BOX SCORE) - In the quarterfinal match between Hammond Central and the reigning runner-up Whitney Young, the intense battle came to a close with Whitney Young reigning victorious, 61-56.

As the two teams battled out in the first quarter, Whitney Young held Hammond Central to just four points. After being contained for the majority of the first, a layup from Jordan Woods jumpstarted the Wolves’ offense and allowed them to outscore the Dolphins in the second. 

With a low-scoring first half of 23-19, the Dolphins and the Wolves continued to battle in the second. An and-one from Daniel Johnson seemed to be the momentum shift for the Dolphins, but a three from Kenneth Grant retaliated immediately. In the game of back-and-forth baskets, a fastbreak slam from Johnson forced Hammond Central into a timeout. Layups from Woods and Matthew King brought the Wolves within five. After forcing a turnover with less than six seconds in the third quarter, Dalen Davis went coast-to-coast for an and-one as the clock expired and completed the three-point play, giving the Dolphins a ten-point lead, their largest of the game. 

Entering the final eight minutes, a dunk from Woods and an and-one from Danny Garza cut the Whitney Young lead back down to seven, but the Dolphins kept battling back. As Hammond Central chipped away at the Whitney Young lead, a dunk from Antonio Munez followed by an and-one gave them a comfortable seven-point lead with two minutes to play. 

As the final minute of play ticked away, a turnover from the Wolves would put the Dolphins at the free-throw line to secure their win.

The Dolphins will now take on the Mustangs of St. Rita on Wednesday, December 28th at 5:30 pm while the Wolves will take on the Lions of Lincoln Park at 2:00 pm.

(BOX SCORE) - In the first game of the second session on day two of the PWHT, St. Rita took on Lincoln Park as the Mustangs advanced to the semifinals following their 82-68 win over the Lions. 

After remaining scoreless for the first minute and a half, the Lions put themselves on the board first with a lone free throw. The Mustangs would take the lead about a minute later as a jumper from James Brown followed by a three from Nashawn Holmes would kickstart their offensive efforts. Another Brown layup and a Nojus Indrusaitis three created a seven-point lead. 

As the second quarter got underway, the Mustangs kept rolling and led by as much as 23 despite Lincoln Park outshooting them from the floor 52.4% to 43.3%. 

Despite the intense efforts from the Lions, the third quarter told a very similar story as the first half. Morez Johnson dominated inside the paint as he picked up his 18th point off a free throw following the triple-team defense on him inside the lane. Despite the Mustangs leading by double-digits for the entirety of the second half the intensity never wavered. Ahmed Lee disrupted the Mustang offense on more than one occasion after drawing offensive fouls, intercepting passes, and picking pockets left and right. 

Myan Whitfield led the offense for the Lions with 17 points while shooting 5-7 from the field while Johnson led the offense for the Mustangs with 27 points while shooting 7-16. 

St. Rita advances to the semifinals on Wednesday, December 28th at 5:30 pm while Lincoln Park will take on the loser of the Hammond Central/Whitney Young game at 2:00 pm.

(BOX SCORE) Farragut jumped out to an early double-digit lead and never looked back as it downed Southland College Prep, 73-40, on Tuesday afternoon in a consolation-round matchup as part of the 61^st Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament.

Farragut stepped on the gas from the onset, opening play on a 7-0 run, punctuated by a Jonathan Calmese fastbreak score that prompted a Southland College Prep timeout with less than three minutes gone.  A David Shaw three out of the stoppage snapped the drought for the Eagles, trimming the gap to 7-3, but Farragut countered with the afternoon’s next six points as it ultimately held a 17-7 lead at the end of a first quarter in which Southland College Prep finished just 2-of-13 from the field.

After seeing Farragut stretch the gap to 22-7 following a Latrell Kelley make from distance at the 6:46 mark, the Eagles looked to find their footing on the offensive end, pulling back within 22-12 on another Shaw trey with 5:11 to go in the first half.  The Admirals responded, as Jaylan James and Kelley each connected from outside inside the final two minutes, with the latter’s triple in the closing seconds staking Farragut to a 33-17 lead at the intermission.

Justin Pickens dialed in from distance two minutes into the second half, stretching Farragut’s advantage to 40-20.  James finished with authority less than a minute later, stretching the margin to 44-22.  The Admirals’ pressure defense continued to wreak havoc as the third quarter wore on, as fastbreak dunks from Pickens and Eric Powell, respectively, highlighted a backbreaking 20-0 Farragut tear that saw the lead balloon to 60-22 and put to rest any fleeting hopes of an Eagles’ rally.

Pickens paced Farragut on the afternoon with 22 points (10-15 FGs, 1-1 3FGs, 1-2 FTs), leading a trio of Admirals to score in double figures.  Shaw knocked down six threes as part of a game-best 26-point effort (10-21 FGs, 6-15 3FGs) for Southland College Prep.

Farragut advances on to battle Michele Clark in the consolation semifinals at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon.  Southland College Prep will matchup against Crete Monee in 12:30 p.m.  Thursday afternoon tilt.

(BOX SCORE) Despite a late rally, Michele Clark was able to stave off a Crete-Monee by a final score of 57-56 in a consolation quarterfinal on Tuesday afternoon at the 61^st Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament.

Clark allowed just 11 first half points to Crete-Monee, while using an 18-6 run during the second quarter to build up a 26-11 lead after the first 16 minutes. Crete-Monee made a big run in the fourth quarter, outscoring Clark 25-14. A late three pulled Crete-Monee within one, but they were unable to get the ball back, falling 57-56. 

Katrell Weekly led the offense for Clark with 21 points on 9-13 shooting. Cordy Johnson also finished in double figures with 12 points. Miles Gillespie led Crete-Monee with 18 points on 7-18 shooting. Tay’Shun Russell had 17 points as well. 

Clark moves on to take on the winner of Farragut and Southland prep in the consolation semifinals on Wednesday afternoon at 12:30pm. Crete-Monee will play the loser at 12:30 on Thursday. 

(BOX SCORE) - In game two of day two of the PWHT, the Zion-Benton Bees and the Bogan Bengals duked it out for a chance to fight their way to the consolation championship as Bogan took down Zion-Benton 77-57.

Zion-Benton struck first after a three from Amare Simpson kickstarted the game. Back-to-back layups from Abron Brooks and Rmoni Beals put the Bees up by five before a fastbreak slam from Brooks forced a Bengals timeout. With Jason Smith going on a run for Bogan, six consecutive points would be enough to put the Bengals ahead and force a Zion-Benton timeout. The Bengals continued to ride the momentum and closed the first quarter with a 15-9 lead.

With Zion-Benton unable to limit turnovers, Bogan took advantage of every freeball and jumped ahead to a 17 point lead. Tarell Harding took charge for the Bengals as he picked up four of his 21 points during the third quarter while adding in two monstrous blocks and a handful of assists. The Bees kept fighting as they scored even with the Bengals in the third quarter.

In the final eight minutes of play, the Bees fought back as they cut their deficit to as low as 11, but Harding continued to be a force for the Bengals. Bogan outscored Zion-Benton 29-22 in the fourth quarter as they picked up their first win of the tournament. 

Bogan will head on to face the host team Proviso West on Wednesday, December 28th at 11:00 am while Zion-Benton will face Bowman at 11:00 am on Thursday, December 29th.

(BOX SCORE) - After being sent to the consolation side of their host tournament, the Proviso West Panthers came out ready to battle, jumping out to an early 7-2 lead led by a three from Marvin Stephens. Bowman found their groove and took the lead after a three from Emmanuel Foley. The Eagles would hold a one-point lead for the remainder of the first quarter. 

As the second quarter got underway, the Panthers kicked things into high gear, out scoring the Eagles 13-2 in the first four minutes picking up their largest lead of the game after a three from Johntae Beavers put them ahead by ten. After the first 16 minutes of play the Panthers led the Eagles 32-24.

As the second half got underway, the Panthers stayed in the groove they found in the second quarter and jumped out to a 13-point lead. Rajon Roberts controlled the floor as he picked up the trifecta steal, assist, and layup on top of Stephens’ ten points that catapulted the Panthers even further ahead. A fastbreak dunk from Keshawn Hobson forced an Eagles timeout as the Panthers extended to a 23-point advantage. 

With the Panthers shooting 51.8% from the field compared to the Eagles’ 30% from the field, it was clear there was no slowing down the host Proviso West as they battled their way through the first-round consolation game. 

Following their win in the first consolation game, the Panthers will go on to play on Wednesday, December 28th at 11:00 am against the winner of the Bogan/Zion-Benton game while the Eagles will face the loser of that game at 11:00 am on Thursday, December 29th.

(BOX SCORE) - In the final game of the opening day of the 61st Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament the Kenwood Academy Broncos slammed down on the Southland College Prep Eagles and set a PWHT record with their 122-48 win.

Kenwood started the game with intensity and set the pace for the remainder of the game. Darrin Ames picked up his first three-pointer of the game within 12 seconds and foreshadowed the game he would go on to play. Shortly after a fast break layup from Edwon Duling Jr. and three from Aleks Alson put the Broncos up by eight. A three from David Shaw would put the Eagles on the board for the first time, but wasn’t enough to stop the attacking Broncos. Six colossal dunks from the Kenwood squad would put the Broncos up 43-11 in the first quarter.  Ames put up a star-studded first quarter himself after picking up 22 points while going 4-for-4 from the three and throwing down three dunks. Ames picked up 44 points in the first half alone. As the Broncos lead continued to grow, their intensity never lowered. They closed the first half with a record-setting 80-23 lead.

Coming out of the half the Broncos continued to play their game and Ames extended his totals. The Broncos led by as much as 68 points in the third quarter while they surpassed the triple-digit mark. As the Eagles clawed their way through, Shaw proved to be the spark after he picked up his second three of the night.

Ames continued to roll through the night as he picked up a new career-high 65 points while setting the single-game record for most points in the PWHT. As the Kenwood team kept cruising they would go on to lead by as much as 78. Despite endless efforts, the Eagles couldn’t contain the Broncos. Calvin Robins Jr. stepped up in the fourth quarter with three monstrous slams himself while Tyler Smith grabbed three assists and a steal in the last eight minutes of play.

Kenwood Academy will go on to face Fenwick in the quarterfinals tomorrow, December 27th, at 8:30 pm while Southland College Prep will take on Farragut at 2:00 pm.

(BOX SCORE) – Dominick Ducree hit a 3-pointer with 55 seconds left in overtime to lift Fenwick to a 48-46 victory over Farragut in the opening round of the 61st Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament.

Trailing by one, Fenwick turned to Ducree, who knocked down the triple in front of his own bench to give the Friars the two-point lead with less than a minute to play. Farragut looked to draw up an out-of-bounds play with four seconds left, but Fenwick stole the entry pass to secure the victory.

Darshan Thomas scored a team-high 13 points for Fenwick while Farragut was led by Latrell Kelley’s game-high 15 points. It was a defensive battle in the OT thriller, as each team shot less than 31% from the field.

Neither team crated any separation over the first half of action. After playing the first quarter to an even 11-all draw, the tightly contested battle continued into the second frame. Farragut built a minimal 4-point lead off the Latrell Kelley 3-pointer before Fenwick closed the half on a 10-3 run to take a 24-21 lead into the break.

The Friars built a seven-point lead heading into the fourth after outscoring the Admirals, 13-9, coming out of the halftime break. Thomas nearly outscored Farragut on his own in the third, scoring eight of his team-high 13 points in the third quarter.

The Admirals quickly erased the deficit, scoring eight of the first ten points of the fourth quarter to pull within one at 39-38 with 4:11 to play. The two teams would go scoreless over the next three minutes until a free throw from Farragut’s Eric Powel evened the score at 39-all with 56.4 remaining. The two teams would trade layups in the final minute to send the game to overtime.

Fenwick outscored Farragut, 7-5 in the OT period, with the game-winning bucket coming with less than a minute to play.

(BOX SCORE) - In game six of the opening day of the 61st Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament, the Proviso East Pirates outshined the Crete-Monee Warriors and picked up the 84-58 win.

Proviso East struck first with a three from Byron Pullen followed by an and-one from Emory Marshall. Back-to-back slams from Bryce Coleman brought the Pirates up to a 9-0 lead within the first three minutes. A layup and a three from Tay’Shun Russell finally put the Warriors on the board and cut the Pirates’ lead down to four, but the Pirates remained on top after picking up 25 points in the first quarter compared to the Warriors’ eight.

Quarter two started no different as Proviso East picked off the ball on the inbound and scored within the first 30 seconds. Bringing their lead up to as much as 35, the Pirates controlled the tempo of the game. Two Jaloni Johnson threes, layups from Denyell Rush and Coleman, and a monster steal and slam from Emory would bring put the Pirates on top 53-20 at the half. 

With Crete-Monee continuing to battle back, a three from Jyaveion Green, a pair of layups from Miles Gillespie, and a fastbreak bucket from Russell would bring them within 30. Intense defense paired with fast-paced offense kept the Pirates rolling over the Warriors.

The Pirates outshot the Warriors 62.5% to 48.9% while turning the ball over ten times less than their opponents. Proviso East will face T.F. North in the quarterfinals tomorrow, December 27th at 7:00 pm while Crete-Monee will face Michele Clark in the consolation quarterfinals at 2:00 pm.

(BOX SCORE) – The T.F. North Meteors led wire-to-wire in the first round of the 61st Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament, hosted by Proviso West, cruising to a 65-40 victory over Michele Clark.

Chase Abraham scored a game-high 20 points for T.F. North, finishing the night 7-for-10 from the field, while Jayden Small (15) and Jevon Warren (11) both scored in double figures. The Meteors shot 53.1% from the field in the contest, including 65.4% from the field in the second half, while limiting the Eagles to just 27.8% shooting.

Jordan Petty opened the scoring with back-to-back layups, helping T.F. North build an early 4-0 lead. The lead for the Meteors would grow to as many six in the opening quarter, as T.F. North took a 14-8 lead into the second quarter.

T.F. North extended the advantage to as many as 11 in the second quarter, but Michele Clark’s Cordy Johnson knocked down a triple before converting a layup on the ensuing possession to cut the deficit back down to six with just under two minutes to play in the half. Johnson would end the first half with a team-leading seven points.

After Michele Clark cut the T.F. North lead down to five early in the third quarter, a quick 9-0 run by the Meteors over a minute and 18 seconds of game action pushed the lead to 14. Christopher Cook scored four points while Abraham knocked down a 3-pointer during the run. T.F. North would lead by double figures for the remainder of the contest, pulling away in the fourth quarter for the 25-point victory.

T.F. North moves on to face the winner of Proviso East and Crete Monee in the quarterfinals on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. Michele Clark will face the loser of the Proviso East/Crete Monee contest at 12:30 p.m. in the consolation quarterfinals.

(BOX SCORE)- The Whitney Young Dolphins outscored Zion-Benton 26-6 in the first quarter and never looked back, cruising to a 73-37 win in the first round of the 61st Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament hosted by Proviso West High School.

The Dolphins scored the first 11 points of the contest, holding Zion-Benton soreless for nearly four minutes. Whitney Young shot 9-14 from the floor in the opening quarter, knocking down four threes. Whitney Young continued to pad their lead in the second quarter, extending their lead to 44-16 at the half. Daniel Johnson led the way with 18 first half points. He was 6-7 from the field and knocked down three threes.

Whitney Young kept the run going, building their lead out to 41 at the end of three quarters of play. Both teams emptied their benches in the fourth quarter as Whitney Young closed out the first round victory by a final score of 73-37

The Dolphins were led offensively by Daniel Johnson with 26 points on 10-15 shooting. He also had eight rebounds. Antonio Munoz and Dalen Davis each scored in double figures as well, scoring 17 and 12 respectively. Zion-Benton was led by Rmoni Beals with 15 points. 

Whitney Young moves on to face Hammond Central in the quarterfinals at 5:30 pm on Tuesday. Zion-Benton will take on Bogan at 11:00 am Tuesday in the consolation quarterfinals.

(BOX SCORE)- The Hammond Central Wolves opened on a 16-0 run and never looked back, downing the Bogan Bengals by a final score of 83-72 to open the 61st Annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament hosted by Proviso West High School.

Hammond Central scored the first 16 points of the game, holding Bogan scoreless for the first 4:10. Hammond Central kept the pressure up, building up a 29-5 lead after the opening eight minutes. The second quarter was much more evenly matched, with both teams scoring 16 points. Matthew King led all scorers in the first half with 14. Hammond Central shot 55 percent in the first half while holding Bogan to 11. 

Hammond Central kept the pressure on, building their lead to as many as 28 points in the third quarter. The Bengals were able to cut the Wolves’ advantage to 10 in the fourth but would ultimately fall by a final score of 83-72

The Wolves shot 44.8 percent from the field and were led by Jordan Woods with 20 points on 9-15 shooting. He also had six assists. Danny Garza, Kenneth Grant, and Matthew King also scored in double figures. Bogan was led by Dauntrell Dixon with 29 points. He knocked down five threes. Tarell Harding had 21 points for the Bengals as well. 

Hammond Central moves on to take on Whitney Young in the quarterfinals at 5:30 pm on Tuesday. Bogan will take on Zion-Benton at 11:00 am Tuesday in the consolation quarterfinals.

(BOX SCORE) - Saint Rita came out of the gates ready to work and went up 8-0 in under a minute. Back-to-back threes from Damarion Baker and Leon Grimes put Bowman on the board, though still trailing by six. Saint Rita continued to take charge as they went up by as much as 26 in the first quarter. A dunk from Morez Johnson paired with Nashawn Holmes’ nine points in the first quarter brought the Mustangs to a monster 36-13 lead. 

Second quarter action saw no difference as Saint Rita continued to dominate. Dunks from Nojus Indrusaitis and James Brown paired with a three from Indrusaitis and brought the lead up by 35. As the Eagles attempted to dig their way out, a three from Grimes broke the barrier and opened the basket up though they still trailed 55-21 after one half of play. 

Coming out of the half, Saint Rita extended their lead to as much as 60 while holding Bowman scoreless for the majority of the third quarter until a Nickolas Black three within the last few seconds would put them on the board for the half. 

Entering the final eight minutes, a running clock kicked in as the Mustangs continued to roll. Fourth quarter points from Andre Tyler, Amari Edwards, Colin Auw, and Ryan Loehr would help the Mustangs pick up the 91-34 win. Grimes would lead for the Eagles and pick up a team high 13 points despite falling. 

Saint Rita will head on to play Lincoln Park tomorrow, December 27th at 4:00 pm while Bowman will take on Proviso West at 9:30 am.

(BOX SCORE) - In the opening game of the 61st annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament, the host Proviso West Panthers battled with the Lincoln Park Lions, resulting in a 67-63 win for the Lions. 

The Panthers won the tip-off but turned the ball over immediately giving the Lions the first opportunity to score after an and-one from Dekari Durham. Following Durham’s bucket, Jalen Calloway hit a three from the top of the key and put the Lions up 5-0. As the Lions continued to pressure defensively, the Panthers were forced to take a timeout to regroup. Fresh out of the timeout, the Lions regained possession after forcing a turnover and continued their drives. As the Panthers fought back they brought the score to 15-9 to close the first quarter.

A forced turnover and a breakaway layup from Rajan Roberts kickstarted the Panthers’ second-quarter drive. A three from Roberts brought the Panthers trailing by one -- their closest margin all game. A crafty drive from Roberts tied the game for the first time since the start of the game. With Tramaine Allen at the free throw line, the Panthers took their first lead of the game, but a retaliation three from Calloway put the Lions back on top again where they’d stay for the remainder of the half leading 39-27.

As the Lions continued to dominate the second half, an and-one from Calloway drove them to a ten-point lead. With the Panthers unwilling to slow down, their offensive efforts, led by Roberts, cut the difference to four. Back-to-back blocks from Keshawn Hobson and Demarcus Wesley followed by a layup from Marvin Stephens put the Panthers on top by two. An and-one from Durham to close the third quarter would put the Lions back ahead by one point with eight minutes to play.

As the fourth quarter became a consistent lead-change battle, the Panthers took charge early. A pair of free throws from Roberts and a three from Drake Washington would put the Panthers up by four and force a Lions timeout. With the Panthers holding the lead for the majority of the fourth quarter, the Lions would tie things back up with under a minute to play. A lone free throw from Stephens put the Panthers ahead by one with 14.9 seconds remaining and possession back to the Lions. A layup from Myan Whitfield gave the Lions the one-point advantage with two seconds remaining. A turnover off the inbound pass for the Panthers resulted in a three as the buzzer went off from Ahmad Lee as the Lions closed the game 67-63.

Both teams will play tomorrow, December 27th with Lincoln Park playing at 4:00 pm while Proviso West playing at 9:30 am.