HINSDALE CENTRAL HOLIDAY CLASSIC

HC SQUARED:  It's The Best Game In Town

Game Recap

HINSDALE, Ill. – Marian Catholic erased a 14-point deficit over the final 10 minutes of regulation and then used a pair of overtimes to stun Brother Rice 75-74 in the first semifinal of the 2023 Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic.

Brother Rice (15-1) led 14-9 after the first quarter and carried a 36-28 lead into the locker room at halftime. Brother Rice led by 14 points with just under two minutes remaining the third quarter but Marian Catholic closed the quarter on an 8-0 run to pull to within six entering the fourth quarter. Brother Rice led by three points with 1:27 left, but Marian Catholic hit three free throws in the final 90 seconds to tie the game and force overtime.

The two teams traded buckets and leads for the first two minutes of the extra period. Brother Rice moved back in front 65-63 on a three-point play from Marcos Gonzales with 44.1 seconds left. Zack Sharkey hit a floater with under 35 seconds left to even the score at 65-65 and send the game to a second OT.

The score was deadlocked at 69-69 in the second overtime before a pair of Tyler Wooten free throws gave Brother Rice a 71-69 lead with 1:19 left. A bucket and a free throw from James Bullock put Marian Catholic in front 72-71 with 29 seconds left. After a missed three-pointer from Brother Rice, Kaleb Isom split a pair of free throws to extend the Spartans’ lead to two points. Brother Rice missed a pair of free throws with 4.6 seconds left allowing the Spartans to hit two free throws to take a four-point lead with just over two seconds remaining. Brother Rice hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to make the final score 75-74.

Zack Sharkey paced Marian with 26 points and four assists in the victory. Bullock added 21 points and 10 rebounds while Jonah Weathers added 10 points and 11 boards. Delan Davis finished with 10 points and seven rebounds for the Spartans.

Zavier Fitch led Brother Rice in the loss, totaling 18 points and 17 rebounds. Tyler Wooten added 18 points while Cale Cosme scored 17. Gonzales finished with 11 points for the Crusaders.

Marian Catholic will face the winner of DePaul Prep/Oswego East in tomorrow’s championship game at 8:30 p.m. Brother Rice will face the loser of the DePaul Prep/Oswego East in tomorrow’s third-place game at 7:00 p.m.