Riverside-Brookfield’s football prowess has been well documented over the past few seasons. Friday night, two of the football team’s best served notice that the Bulldogs want some respect on the basketball court as well.
Shatone Powers had 21 points and nine rebounds and Tim Brasic had 19 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds as the Bulldogs advanced to the championship of the York Holiday Classic with a 61-45 victory over Conant. The Bulldogs will take on Downers Grove South, a 68-58 winner over York in the late contest.
“Shatone and I have played together for a long time and we showed on the football field that we’re two of the better athletes around,” Brasic said.
“We want to show everyone in the Chicago area that we can be the best basketball team too.”
The Bulldogs (9-2) jumped on Conant from the beginning, as Brasic had nine points, three assists, three rebounds and a block in the first quarter to help his team build a 20-6 lead.
Scott Crassweller (24 points, five rebounds) almost single-handedly got the Cougars (7-6) back into the contest, scoring eight points in a 12-2 run as Conant closed the gap to 32-24 at intermission.
R-B quickly put the contest away in the fourth as Powers scored seven points in a 10-0 Bulldogs run to start the quarter and build a 41-24 lead. Powers had 14 points in the second half.
“I think everyone is starting to love basketball around here,” coach Tom McCloskey said. “We’ve already accomplished a lot just getting to this point. We don’t want to waste this opportunity.”
In the second semifinal, Downers South (8-2) prevailed behind Josh Panozzo’s 20 points and 13 rebounds. York jumped out to a 17-2 lead before the Mustangs clawed back. Brian Belville had 20 points for the Dukes (8-5).
Phil English.
Bloomington/Normal: David Moss scored 13 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and Geremie Allison contributed 13 points as Thornwood (11-1) defeated Lincoln 49-27. . . . Eric Gillam’s 20 points led Rockford Boylan (11-0) to a 75-66 win over Rantoul and a berth in the title game with Thornwood.
Centralia: Sean Dockery scored 23 points as No. 6 Julian (5-1) defeated defending Tennessee Class 3A state champion Bartlett 61-55. Ben Frederick led Bartlett with 22 points.
Collins: James Scott scored 23 points, including 16 in the third quarter, as Collins (11-0) edged Tilden 67-63 and earned a spot in Saturday’s title game against Corliss. . . . Lennix Gladney’s 21 points led Corliss (6-4) to a 94-65 victory over Bowen.
East Aurora: Derell Jenkins had 36 points and was 8-of-14 from three-point range as Bolingbrook (4-9) rolled to the tournament title with a 72-57 win over the hosts.
Elgin: Derek Mister scored 26 points and Dan Walser added 14 points and 10 rebounds as Wheaton North (10-2) edged Hubbard 71-66 to advance to Saturday’s title game. . . . Joey Paul scored 17 points as Highland Park (11-2) defeated Batavia 51-40.
Jacobs: Brad Dryer scored 29 points as Crystal Lake South (10-5) outlasted Bartlett 75-65 in overtime. Anthony Maestranzi led Bartlett (10-4) with 19 points. . . . Mike Madden and Terry Evans each scored 22 points as Elk Grove (12-2) rolled past Lake Forest 77-50.
In consolation play, Matt Glees finished with 42 points to set a tournament single-game record as Vernon Hills (11-1) romped past Johnsburg 86-51.
Kankakee: Jerome Gardner had 18 points as Kankakee beat Minooka 57-44 to advance to the Class AA title game against Urbana.
Lemont: Ray Vicario had 20 points and six assists as Sandburg knocked off No. 20 Neuqua Valley 67-53 in the Class AA title game. Bobby Catchings had 18 points for Neuqua Valley (9-2).
Terence Parker scored 22 points and Joe Cortez added 16 points and six assists as Lisle (9-1) blew out Montini 72-50 in the Class A title game. Joe Gay’s 18 points led Montini (6-5).
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Lincoln-Way East: No. 17 Curie used a series of runs in the second and third quarters to beat Morgan Park 62-45 in the semifinals.
Leading 14-13 after the first quarter, Curie (9-2) went on a 10-0 run in the opening 2:26 of the second quarter and went to halftime with a 35-20 lead after reeling off six unanswered points.
Curie’s 6-foot 8-inch forward/center Rome Sanders scored 17 points. He held Morgan Park’s Marcus Arnold, a 6-8 center who injured his ankle on Friday morning, to nine points.
“This was a big test for Sanders, playing against Arnold, one of the best big men in the city,” said Condors coach Michael Oliver. “He met the challenge.”
Omni Smith had 16 and Rodney Williams 15 for Curie, while Arthur Moore tallied 10 points for Morgan Park (6-6).
Curie will face Thornton Fractional North (12-1) in the championship game Saturday. Trailing by a point at half, the Meteors outscored Robeson by eight points in the third quarter to win 64-48. Ryan Parker led four T.F. North players in double digits with 15 points.
Luther North: Rickey Mojek had 21 points and Jawond Gage added 19 points as Holy Cross (12-1) advanced to the title game with a 65-59 victory over Walther Lutheran. Gage’s layup with 1 minute left broke a 59-59 tie. Bo Flowers Jr. had 15 points for Walther Lutheran (9-4).
Chris Cobbs scored 13 of his game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter as Taft (13-1) defeated Zion-Benton 57-56 in the other semifinal. Cobbs split a pair of free throws with 13 seconds left to give the Eagles the victory and their best start since 1991. Andre White, who led Zion-Benton (10-2) with 15 points, missed a layup at the buzzer.
Northside Prep: Tristan Knight scored 18 points as Jones (12-2) edged Northside Prep 56-54 in the championship game. Freshman Robert Eichman’s 28 points led Northside Prep (4-6).
Pekin: In a quarterfinal game, No. 18 Westinghouse (7-2) defeated Hersey 78-49 behind Jamaal Brown’s 27 points. Westinghouse went on to defeat Pekin 59-49 in the semifinals.
Pontiac: Lockport did the unimaginable in the quarterfinals of the Pontiac Holiday Tournament, shocking second-seeded Peoria Manual 40-28.
Lockport (6-4) limited Manual to two field goals in the first half in gaining a 20-8 advantage at the break. “It surprised me too,” Lockport coach Larry Thompson said.
The Rams (10-3) shot 9.5 percent (2-of-21) in the first half. Their only baskets were a short jumper by O’Bryan Wallace six minutes into the game and a breakaway dunk by Aaron Williams in the final minute of the second quarter.
Lockport’s 6-foot-5-inch Alando Tucker was the only true offensive threat on the floor. He scored 12 of his game-high 19 points in the first half. He also collected 12 rebounds.
The story of the game was the impenetrable Lockport zone.
Manual made only eight field goals out of 46 attempts (17 percent). Playing without senior guard Paul Burse, the Rams appeared lost. Their three primary guards–Brandon Lee, Vondrick Ware and Rodney Williams–were a combined 5-of-31.
Lockport confronts another significant obstacle in the semifinals, advancing to play No. 4 West Aurora. The Blackhawks (9-1) broke open a game that was tied at halftime and at the end of the three quarters. West Aurora beat Niles West 81-67 behind the play of sophomore guard Jaeh Thomas.
Thomas recovered from a poor opening-round game against Providence with 18 points (12 in the fourth quarter), nine rebounds, seven steals and five assists. West Aurora outscored Niles West 24-13 in the final 5:38. Dameon Mason led West Aurora 22 points and 10 rebounds. Charles Williams paced Niles West (6-4) with 18 points.
In the lower bracket, No. 8 and top-seeded Joliet (13-1) continued to impress, smashing Warren 63-34 behind its high-powered attack. Kellen Easley led three double-figure scorers with 14 points.
In the fourth quarterfinal, Simeon overcame a six-point halftime deficit to stun fourth-seeded Oak Park 63-46. The Wolverines (5-3) were led by Deshawn Walker’s 17 points
Rockford: DeMonte Smith and Luke Berry had 19 points apiece as Rockford Christian Life (12-2) defeated De La Salle 70-59. Aaron Wellington had 22 points for De La Salle (5-6).
St. Louis Normandy: Aaron Spears had 22 points and 10 rebounds as Dunbar (6-1) pounded McCluer (Mo.) 66-45 and advanced to the title game. Martel Mahon contributed 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Mighty Men.
Waubonsie Valley: Derrick Clanton’s 19 points paced No. 10 Waubonsie Valley (11-0) in a 48-31 victory over Leyden. . . . Mike Paradowski scored 15 points as Glenbard North (10-1) downed Marmion 63-46.