HINSDALE CENTRAL HOLIDAY CLASSIC

HC SQUARED:  Building a New Tradition of Basketball at Its Best
 

2016 GAME ONE RECAP: LINCOLN PARK 62, ST. CHARLES EAST 44

Box Score

HINSDALE, Ill. - Leading by just two points at the half, Lincoln Park outscored St. Charles East 43-27 in the second-half en route to a 62-44 victory in the opening game of the 2016 Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic.

The first half was low scoring with Lincoln Park lead 19-17 at the break following a three-pointer from Alec Brent just before the halftime buzzer.

The Lions exploded in the third, outscoring the Saints 24-12 fueled by four three-pointers in the quarter. Brent knocked down three triples in the quarter to give Lincoln Park a 43-29 lead entering the fourth quarter.

St. Charles came as close as nine points in the fourth quarter, but Lincoln Park answered each run by the Saints, pushing their lead to double digits before coasting to the 18-point victory.

Lincoln Park (7-4) shot 52.3 percent (23-of-44) from the floor, including 42.3 percent (8-of-19) from beyond the arc. Brent led the charge for the Lions, finishing with 20 points while tying the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic single-game tournament record for three-pointers in game with six. Hamza Gogobija added 18 points, a team-leading seven rebounds and two assists in the victory.

St. Charles East (8-3) shot just 37.0 percent (17-of-46) from the floor, including 29.6 percent (8-of-27) from downtown. Justin Hardy led the Saints and all scorers with a game-high 22 points, shooting 9-of-14 from the floor. He scored 14 of the Saint's 17 points in the opening half. Charles Murphy added eight points for the Saints in the loss.

Lincoln Park will face the winner of the Marian Catholic/Urban Prep Englewood contest in Wednesday’s quarterfinal at 3:45 p.m. St. Charles East will take on the loser of the Marian Catholic/Urban Prep Englewood game on Wednesday (December 28) at 9:30 a.m.