HINSDALE CENTRAL HOLIDAY CLASSIC

HC SQUARED:  It's The Best Game In Town

Game Recap

HINSDALE, Ill. – Morgan Park held off a late charge by St. Charles East and prevailed 54-50 to kick off day two of the 2023 Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic on Thursday morning.

An offensive-filled first quarter saw Morgan Park (6-6 record) emerge with an 18-15 lead following a three-pointer by Desmond Harris. A 7-2 run to end the half gave the Mustangs a 32-23 advantage. RJ Mack came off the bench to contributed 10 points in the half for MP. St. Charles East was paced by Matthew Steinberg with six points and eight rebounds, but the Saints (3-11 record) were limited to 34.5 percent shooting from the field.

In the third quarter, the Saints were utilizing their height advantage in the post and handsy defense to pull ahead 38-37. Morgan Park was out of sorts with a bevy of turnovers.

The game stood tied at 43-43 with five minutes left in the game. But a three-pointer by Morgan Park's Jacque Lewis staked his squad to a lead they would not relinquish. St. Charles East crept within two points with 14 seconds left. However, the Mustangs beat the press and scored a layup in the final moments to secure the win.

Long-range shooting proved pivotal, as Morgan Park shot 7 of 17 (41.2 percent) while St. Charles East only went 2 of 14 (14.3 percent) from deep. The Saints controlled the boards 35-24 and committed fewer turnovers (15 to 20).

Mack and Harris concluded with 10 points apiece for the Mustangs. Andrew Wolfsmith tallied 12 points and seven rebounds, Steinberg snagged 11 rebounds, and Sam Tisch posted 11 points.

Morgan Park will await the winner of Plainfield East/Stevenson in tomorrow’s consolation match-up at 12:30 p.m. St. Charles East will face the loser of Plainfield East/Stevenson in a consolation game tomorrow at 9:30 AM.