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player ready...For a brief moment, Evanston had Morgan Park star Charlie Moore sped up and out of control.
It looked that way anyhow, until Mustang senior Jamal Burton came out of nowhere with a highlight-film throw-down of an alley-oop pass.
Moore, a Memphis recruit and the top-ranked player in Illinois’ senior class, controlled the ball most of the night, and the unheralded Burton was everywhere.
As a result, Morgan Park’s debut in the Elite Classic at the UIC Pavilion was an unqualified success. Burton had 18 points, 10 rebounds and five steals and Moore added 14 points and four assists to lead the Mustangs to a 71-59 victory over Evanston.
“Jamal was locked in, rebounding at a high level, slashing, just playing Jamal basketball,” Moore said. “He came out here with a mindset that he was going to prove everybody wrong. He did that tonight.”
Last year, “Jamal basketball” meant toughness, hustle and defense. But the 6-foot-2 senior returned this season as a skilled offensive player.
He defended Nojel Eastern well despite the Evanston star’s game-high 19 points, and Burton went 6-of-11 from the field and made all four of his free throws and both his 3-point attempts.
A deep 3-pointer by Burton gave Morgan Park (2-0) a 62-49 lead and ended a 10-2 run that got Evanston (4-1) back within shouting distance.
“Jamal Burton is a bad boy,” Morgan Park coach Nick Irvin said. “I’ve been telling everybody he is the glue to the team. If he is on his game, I don’t think anybody in the world can beat us.”
“I’ve put a lot of long hours in the gym,” said Burton, who is hearing from Loyola and St. Louis but does not have a Division I offer. “I wasn’t mentioned in any rankings or anything so I have a statement to make.”
Mount Carmel 58, Bishop Noll (Ind.) 49: Nick Chambers (22 points) led Mount Carmel (5-1).
Girls Basketball
Lincoln-Way West 66, Lincoln-Way Central 51: Courtney O’Donnell (20 points, 11 rebounds) propelled Lincoln-Way West (6-1, 1-1 SWSC Red).
Marist 59, Resurrection 19: Claire Austin (10 points, 6 rebounds) steered Marist (7-1) in the ESCC/GCAC Showdown at Loyola.
Mother McAuley 58, Marian Catholic 46: Tara O’Malley (21 points) powered Mother McAuley (5-3) at Loyola.
Nazareth 57, Providence 53: Claire Paciga (19 points) led Providence (1-8) in the ESCC/GCAC Showdown at St. Viator.
Argo 89, Guerin 36: Chatori Tyler (30 points, 10 rebounds) boosted Argo (6-1).
Morgan Park Academy 58, Cristo Rey 27: Gabby Ogbevire (22 points) paced Morgan Park Academy (6-2).
Milwaukee (Wis.) School of Languages 91, Reavis 64: Natalie Dudek (19 points) led Reavis (3-4).
Wrestling
Lincoln-Way West quadrangular: Chris Kennedy (106 pounds) and Gehrig Simon (126) won three times apiece as Lincoln-Way West (4-1) defeated Downers Grove North 55-6, Geneva 59-9 and Round Lake 71-0.
Mount Carmel quadrangular: Wins by Joey Egan (113), Jake Tucker (152) and Matthew Reyes (heavyweight) helped Mount Carmel post a 38-22 victory over Montini. Keith Healy captured his 500th career win as Providence topped Bowen 70-10.
Naperville North quadrangular: Louie Hayes (113), Kevin Stearns (120) and Christian Robertson (145) each recorded three pins as Sandburg (8-0) topped Batavia 64-6, Lyons 49-12 and Naperville North 67-3.
Oswego East duals: Brian Burns (182) had five pins and Devin O’Rourke (220) four to lead Lincoln-Way East (10-1), which finished second with a 4-1 record.
Men’s Basketball
St. Xavier 86, Purdue North Central (Ind.) 60: Niko Cahue (14 points, 7 rebounds) led St. Xavier (4-5, 3-1 CCAC North).
St. Francis 92, Judson 71: Jens Kennedy (22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocked shots) spurred St. Francis (8-0, 4-0 CCAC South).
Indianapolis 84, Lewis 70: Max Strus (18 points, 10 rebounds) paced Lewis (6-2, 1-1 GLVC East).
South Suburban 74, McHenry 65: Anthony Harris (22 points, 11 rebounds) powered South Suburban (11-0).
Prairie State 77, Truman 51: Todd Smith (23 points, 7 rebounds) aided Prairie State (2-7).
Women’s Basketball
Lewis 67, Indianapolis 51: Mariyah Brawner-Henley (17 points, 12 rebounds) surpassed 1,000 career rebounds for Lewis (8-1, 2-0 GLVC East).
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St. Xavier 101, Holy Cross (Ind.) 64: Kara Krolicki (20 points) guided St. Xavier (10-0, 4-0 CCAC North).
St. Francis 80, Judson 50: Charnelle Reed (22 points, 8 rebounds) paced St. Francis (9-0, 4-0 CCAC South).
Friday’s GamesHigh School Boys Basketball
Joliet Catholic 51, Aurora Central Catholic 26: Jalen Jackson (16 points) led Joliet Catholic (4-0) in the Burney Wilkie Classic at Aurora Christian.
Andrew 62, Lincoln-Way North 47: Joey Krutilla (17 points) lifted Andrew (3-2, 1-0 SWSC Red).
Thornwood 57, Lincoln-Way Central 53: Marcus Hussey (16 points) sparked Thornwood (2-3, 1-0 SWSC Red).
Rich South 61, Kankakee 30: Dominic Martin (16 points) propelled Rich South (4-2, 1-0 Southland).
Lincoln-Way East 42, Sandburg 38: Kyle McDermed (15 points) paced Lincoln-Way East (2-2, 1-0 SWSC Blue).
Thornridge 77, Bradley-Bourbonnais 66: Demetri Woods (25 points) and Oliver McCall (19 points, 15 rebounds) spurred Thornridge (1-4, 1-0 SWSC Red).
Argo 53, Tinley Park 34: Jermaine McCray (15 points) lifted Argo (4-2, 1-0 SSC Red).
T.F. South 62, Oak Lawn 53 (OT): Brandon Johnson (17 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocked shots) guided T.F. South (3-2, 1-0 SSC Blue).
Brother Rice 43, Providence 37: Mike Shepski (13 points) sparked Brother Rice (4-2, 1-0 Catholic Blue).
Mater Dei (Calif.) 58, Marian Catholic 46: Austin Richie (11 points, 5 rebounds) led Marian Catholic (4-2) in the Chicago Elite Classic at the UIC Pavilion.
Joliet Central 65, Homewood-Flossmoor 63 (OT): Jeffrey Boyd (21 points) starred for Homewood-Flossmoor (3-2, 0-1 SWSC Blue).
Chicago Christian 64, Ridgewood 54: Trevor Wolterink (20 points) elevated Chicago Christian (5-1, 1-0 MSC East).
Hales 65, St. Laurence 56: Brett Risley (24 points) led St. Laurence (0-5, 0-1 Catholic Blue).
T.F. North 75, Shepard 35: Jadacus Dixon (18 points) propelled T.F. North (2-0, 1-0 SSC Blue).
St. Joseph 51, De La Salle 47: George Willborn recorded 31 points for De La Salle (4-1, 0-1 Catholic Red).
Bremen 71, Evergreen Park 59: Milton Lawrey (18 points) led Bremen (1-4, 1-0 SSC Blue).
Richards 68, Oak Forest 62: Jaylan Catledge (30 points, 6 rebounds) and Jaaron Coleman (22 points, 5 steals) carried Richards (4-2, 1-0 SSC Red).
Mount Carmel 71, Bishop McNamara 66: Christian Peevy had 22 points for Mount Carmel.
Illiana Christian 60, Timothy Christian 31: Chandler Kimmel (14 points) steered Illiana Christian (5-0, 1-0 MSC East).
Crete-Monee 70, Rich East 55: Jeremiah Matthews (22 points) and Victor Curry (21 points, 11 rebounds) powered Crete-Monee (4-2, 1-0 Southland).
Beecher 46, Grant Park 33 (OT): Jack Ranger recorded 14 points for Beecher (2-4, 1-0 RVC).
Mike Helfgot is a freelance writer for the Daily Southtown. Freelance writer Josh Krockey contributed to this story.