HINSDALE CENTRAL HOLIDAY CLASSIC
December 26, 27, 28, 30, 2024
www.hcholidayclassic.com

 HC SQUARED:  It's The Best Game In Town

  

 		    
  
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HINSDALE CENTRAL HOLIDAY CLASSIC FIRST ROUND GAME NOTES
 
   
GAME 1 – OSWEGO EAST vs. MAINE SOUTH, 9:30 a.m.
 The first-round matchup features two of the longest tenured teams in the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic, and the only repeat meeting of any first round game this year.  Oswego East has won twenty or more games every full season that Ryan Velasquez has been head coach.  The Wolfpack owns a 15-5 lifetime record at HC Squared and has won a trophy in every year that they have participated.  Andrew Pohlman and Mason Lockett IV are returning starters of OEHS.  Colin Wehman is in his third year as head coach at Maine South.  The Hawks return a pair of three-year starters in Tyler Sierra and Panayiotos Sotos.  Maine South has won 16 games in HCHC competition, which ranks them third all-time of current teams participating.  The two clubs only meeting in HC Holiday Classic action saw Oswego East defeat Maine South 47-45 in the championship quarterfinals last year.
GAME 2 – BROTHER RICE vs. ST. CHARLES EAST, 11:00 a.m.
 Brother Rice made their first appearance in last year's Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic and finished in fourth place.  The Crusaders set the all-time scoring record for points in the HC Holiday Classic, averaging 71.2 points per contest.  Marcos Gonzales averaged 14.6 points and 2.6 assists per game last year. The Crusaders have compiled a 61-9 record in Coach Conte Stamas’ first two seasons at Brother Rice.   Saint Charles East returns for their ninth season at the HC Holiday Classic.  Coach Rob Klemm’s team advanced to the championship game of the Ron Johnson Thanksgiving Tournament.  East will return three starters from last year’s HCHC.  Brad Monkemeyer averaged 9.6 points per game last year.  Marco Klebosits averaged 7.5 points and led the returning players in rebounding last season.  Sam Tisch averaged 7.1 points, and Andrew Wolfsmith averaged 5.8 points last year.

 GAME 3  -- LANE TECH vs. SAINT RITA, 12:30 p.m.
 The Lane Tech Champions made their first appearance at the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic last year.  Three starters are back from last season’s 20-win team that were co-championship of the Chicago Public League Red-Northwest Conference.  6’10” Dalton Scantlebury is a University of Penn recruit, and set the HC Squared tournament record at last year’s event.  The Champions finished as tournament runner-up at the Battle of the Bridge over Thanksgiving week.  Saint Rita returns to the HC Holiday Classic after playing here from 2017 through 2021.  The Mustangs won the 2017 HCHC.  Ross Burt is in his second year as coach of Saint Rita.
GAME 4 – WHEATON ACADEMY vs. ROCKFORD AUBURN, 2:00 p.m.
 The Warriors will be making their first appearance in the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic this year.  Wheaton Academy has won 19 or more games in four of their last six full seasons and returns a number of underclassmen from an eighteen-win season last year.  The Warriors won their own Thanksgiving Tournament with a perfect record.   Rockford Auburn is a charter member of the first HC Holiday Classic and finished in fifth place last year.  Amir Danforth was the 2023 HCHC tournament leading scorer (21.0 ppg) as a sophomore and was selected to the All-Tournament Team.  Coach Bryan Ott has won over 450 games in a 25-year career with the Knights.

GAME 5 – MARIAN CATHOLIC vs. CENTRAL ROCKETS, 3:45 p.m.
The Spartans advanced to the championship game of last year’s Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic, in coach Rick Romelli’s first season.  Last year’s Marian Catholic team won 22 games and returns their leading scorer Zack Sharkey, who was named to the HCHC All-Tournament Team.  Marian won the 2018 HC Holiday Classic and has a 20-8 record in HC Squared tournament play.  The Central Rockets will be making their first appearance on the Hinsdale Central hardwood this year.  Coach Brett Porto is in his sixteenth season with Central and has compiled a 226-53 record over the last nine seasons.  The Rockets have had eight straight seasons of twenty wins or more, except for the shortened Covid-19 season in 2021 -- when they went 16-1.

GAME 6 – HINSDALE CENTRAL vs. PLAINFIELD EAST, 5:15 p.m.
Hinsdale Central will return six of their top seven leading scorer's from last season.  Vince Buzelis led the Red Devils in rebounding and assists last year and is the younger brother of Chicago Bulls first round draft choice Matas Buzelis. Dillon Dell set the HC Holiday Classic single game record last year, shooting a perfect six-for-six from three-point range in the Red Devils opening round win.  Tyler Thick suits up for his third season on the varsity.  Three other seniors who all saw starting action last year include 6-7 Michael Howell, and a pair of combo guards in Eric Kozys and Dillon Orozco.  The Bengals are making their second appearance at the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic.  Senior Kobe Jordan and junior Christopher Tchoffa return for coach Kanwer Sarkaria.  Plainfield finished in third place in the Ron Johnson Thanksgiving Tournament.
 
GAME 7 – NILES NORTH vs. MORTON, 7:00 p.m.
The Vikings will be making their second ever appearance at the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic.  Last year Niles North won the seventh-place game at HCHC.   North returns a trio of two-time Central Suburban League all-conference players in Hunter Gawron, Yaris Irby, and Reid Olson.  Gawron was the team's leading scorer and leading rebounder at last year's Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic.  Irby had back-to-back 25-point performances at last year's HC Squared.  The Vikings have won 20 games or more in 12 of the last 13 seasons (excluding the 2021 Covid-19 season). Morton returns for the fourth time at the HC Holiday Classic. Tony Martinucci enters his 24th season as head coach at Morton, as the all-time winningest coach in school history.

GAME 8 – SCHAUMBURG vs. MORGAN PARK, 8:30 p.m.
Schaumburg returns for the second year at the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic.  The Saxons return three starters.  Point guard Jordan Tunis is a good decision-maker and is explosive to the basket.  Javonte McCoy is a tenacious defender who can create big plays on both ends of the court.  Zion Young is a physical force in the paint. The Saxons won the Ron Johnson Thanksgiving Tournament in November.  Morgan Park will be in their third season of competition at the HC Squared.  Nasir Rankin, a transfer from Whitney Young and a highly regarded two-sport athlete, is ranked as the number one football prospect in Illinois in the Class of 2026.  Rankin scored forty points earlier this season at the Fred VanVleet Classic in Rockford.