HINSDALE CENTRAL HOLIDAY CLASSIC

HC SQUARED:  It's The Best Game In Town

Game Recap

HINSDALE, Ill. –  Brother Rice overcame an early 10-point deficit and then held off a fourth quarter rally and needed overtime to score an 83-80 victory over Rockford Auburn in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic.

Brother Rice (15-0) fell behind by 10 early in the first quarter and trailed 20-12 after eight minutes of action. The Crusaders rallied back in the second to lead 34-32 at the half. Brother Rice led 55-48 after three quarters and led by eight points with 1:00 minute remaining in the contest. Three three-pointers in the final minute capped a 9-1 run for Rockford Auburn and forced overtime.

In overtime, Brother Rice scored the first five points, but back-to-back three-pointers put Rockford Auburn in front 80-79 with just over a minute to play. Cale Cosme hit two free throws with 1:10 left to put the Crusaders back up by a point. After a miss from Rockford Auburn, Zavier Fitch hit a driving layup with under 10 seconds left to extend the Crusader’s lead to 83-80. A last-second three-pointer from the Knights came up short, giving the Crusaders the victory.

Marcos Gonzalez led the Crusaders in the win, finishing with 25 points while shooting 10-of-13 from the floor. Cosme added 19 points while Fitch scored 16 for Brother Rice. Tyler Wooten (11 points) and Caden Workman (10 points) both added double-figures in scoring for the Crusaders. Fitch added a game-high 12 rebounds to total a double-double.

Amir Danforth led Rockford Auburn in the loss, pumping in 30 points while shooting 13-of-27. Terry Horton added 14 points and Rakim Chaney finished with 12 points and five assists. The Knights shot 42.9 percent (12-of-28) from three-point distance in the loss.

With the win, Brother Rice will face Marian Catholic in tomorrow’s first semifinal at 7:00 p.m. Rockford Auburn will square off against Niles North in a fifth-place semifinal game tomorrow at 3:45 p.m.