Hillcrest’s Jerel McNeal, one of the top boys basketball players in the state, will return for Friday’s game at Thornton Fractional South after serving a one-game suspension for a Dec. 2 altercation with a school security guard.
McNeal, who has signed with Marquette, was reinstated after agreeing to attend anger-management classes for three days next month.
“I had been given permission by the sociology teacher to leave class, but the security guard who stopped me in the hallway didn’t believe me … and we both got riled up,” McNeal said. “A lot of this has been blown out of proportion. Even though I’ve never been in any trouble at school, I have to take some of the blame for the whole situation.”
Bob Sakamoto
Voice of experience
Russell Cross has played a lot of basketball and seen a lot of basketball. But he rarely has seen a group as tough as Trinity’s girls in crunch time.
“Trinity is the best fourth-quarter team I’ve ever seen,” Cross said Wednesday.
Of course, the former all-Big Ten performer for Purdue who played briefly for Golden State in the NBA may be a bit biased.
His daughter Erica and niece Lykendra Johnson play for the Blazers, who fought back from a 17-point deficit to take No. 1 Fenwick down to the wire Tuesday night.
The 6-foot-10-inch Cross, who went to Manley, is also an assistant coach for Don Sansone’s 11th-ranked Blazers.
“I think I sweated as much as any of the players did [Tuesday night],” he said. “It’s awesome. I love it.”
Alan Sutton
On the run
Maybe York senior Sean McNamara should have just taken up residency on the West Coast the past week.
Last Saturday he went to Portland, Ore., and not only won the individual title in the inaugural Nike Team Nationals cross-country race for high school runners but led York (running as the “Kroy” cross-country club) to a national title. Saturday he and York teammate Matt Dettman, fourth in the Nike race, will compete in the Foot Locker finals at San Diego’s Balboa Park.
McNamara, the Illinois Class AA state champion, will try not only to win back-to-back national titles but give Illinois two consecutive victories in the Foot Locker championships. Last year’s race was won by Andrew’s Matt Withrow, now a freshman at Wisconsin. The only other Illinois winner was Wheeling’s Jorge Torres in 1998.
Alan Sutton
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Brother act
The P.A. announcer sounded like a broken record at the Deerfield wrestling tournament last weekend, but the three Pousson brothers gave him no choice. They each won their weight class for Round Lake: freshman Dillon at 103 pounds; sophomore Derrick, 112; and senior Dustin, 135.Libertyville heavyweight Dave Moosman, fourth at state last year, is out for the season with a shoulder injury suffered in football. He was a Tribune first-team All-Stater in football.
Dave Surico
Name game
North Chicago boys basketball coach George Allen has given each player a nickname. Junior forward Cody Young, for instance, is “Mo”; junior center Avery Warship is “Big Easy” and junior guard Jabbari Sparkman is “Future”.
Those nicknames, along with the player’s uniform number, are displayed on the backs of the Warhawks’ air-brushed, white warmup T-shirts.
“We like them a lot and no one really wants to take them off,” Sparkman said.
Ross Forman
Swimming standouts
The Chicago area was well-represented at the U.S. Open Swimming Championships Dec. 2-4 in San Antonio.
Stevenson freshman Ashley Wanland took third in the 100-meter breaststroke and sixth in the 200 breaststroke. She also teamed with Patriot Aquatic club teammates Maggie O’Brien, Francie Szostak and Aubrey Wanland to finish 20th in the 400 medley and 400 freestyle relays.
Kelly McNichols, a junior at Naperville Central who swims with the Mavericks club, took fifth in the 200 freestyle, seventh in the 100 freestyle, 12th in the 100 breaststroke and 16th in the 400 freestyle. Rosary’s Patty DeScenza of Aurora’s Academy Bullets club was 16th in the 200 butterfly, and she teamed with Brittany Doss, Abby Glaser and Kelly Krzemienski to finish 19th in the 400 medley relay.
Downers North’s Kayla Redig of Express Swim Club was 15th in the 100 butterfly.
Nathan Baird
In the news
York football coach Terry Grider has resigned. … Barrington offensive tackle Dan Doering was named Gatorade Illinois Football Player of the Year.
Honored
Dan “Duck” Hogan of Glenbard East, Joe Rodeghero of Providence, John Dunlop of Thornwood and Don Martin of Plainfield were among six recent inductees to the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
THURSDAY’S BASKETBALL ROUNDUP
Girls
TEAM, SYNOPSIS
%% 2 Young 61
WESTINGHOUSE 44
Public Windy City Amanda Thompson and Erin Dickerson scored 14 and 12, respectively, for Dolphins (3-0, 1-0). Sarrah Logwood had 20 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists for Westinghouse (5-3, 0-1).
4 Sandburg 60
LOCKPORT 49
SICA West Christine St. Leger had 15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, Jill Hushka scored 14 points and Melinda Queen had 12 points, 8 rebounds for Eagles (7-1, 2-0).
7 Thornwood 41
BLOOM 28
SICA East Cierra Thurman had 10 points, 11 rebounds and Ashanti Walker had 8 points, 7 rebounds as Thunderbirds improved to 6-0, 1-0.
11 TRINITY 60
Queen of Peace 34
GCAC Red Lykendra Johnson had 15 pts, 22 rebounds and Tonesha Members and Alison Sansone scored 11 and 10, respectively, for Blazers (6-3, 2-0).
12 BOLINGBROOK 62
Oak Lawn 21
SICA North Brittney Thomas had 17 points, 6 steals, 5 rebounds, Holly Medley had 17 points, 6 rebounds and Mauvolyene Adams had 13 points, 4 assists for Raiders (5-2, 2-0).
15 Bartlett 74
ELGIN 17
Upstate Eight Lindsay Schrader had 26 points, 10 rebounds, Kim Ebbesen scored 14 and Kaci Baird had 10 assists for Hawks (6-2, 2-0).
18 Resurrection 61
MARIA 41
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GCAC Red Kristi Cirone had 26 points, 4 assists, 4 steals to lead Bandits (8-2, 1-1). Roxxanne Jones scored 13 for Maria (1-9, 0-2).
NAPERVILLE C. 54
Naperville North 49
DuPage Valley Erica Carter and Lauren Grochowski scored 17 and 16, respectively, for RedHawks. Andrea Travelstead scored 14 for Naperville North.
WEST CHICAGO 43
Wheaton South 42
DuPage Valley Megan Forbrook’s basket with :15 left won it for Wildcats (8-1, 1-0). Dana Hernan scored 13 for West Chicago.
Boys
TEAM, SYNOPSIS
9 SIMEON 64
Hubbard 47
Non-conference Tim Flowers had 19 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks for Wolverines (2-0), who opened with 11-0 run. Tim Green and Joshua Davis scored 14 and 13, respectively, for Simeon.
11 Julian 85
ROBESON 58
Non-conference Brandon Ewing scored 22 as Jaguars (4-1) ended 2nd quarter with 15-4 run and opened 3rd with 13-3 spurt. Mac Koshwal scored 16 for Julian, and Addison Williams hit 5 3s and scored 18 for Robeson (0-5).
CONANT 56
Hoffman Estates 27
Mid-Suburban West Will Meister scored 19 as Cougars (6-0, 2-0) won behind 10-0 2nd-quarter run. Jamal Roper scored 8 for Hoffman Estates (4-3, 0-2).
Elk Grove 52
PROSPECT 33
Mid-Suburban East Alex Malinowski scored 18 as Grenadiers (5-2, 2-0) took control with 9-1 run to open 3rd. Andy Merklein scored 12 for Prospect (3-4, 1-1).
Home team in CAPS.
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