So finally after 20 months of planning, the opening tip-off of the inaugural Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic was underway, but those that wanted a speedy outcome of Game One had to wait an extra period, as Richards – thanks to a ferocious 28-13 fourth quarter comeback – defeated Hope Academy 74-67 in overtime.  The extra session was an indication of what was to come quite frequently on that very first day as three games went into overtime and one of them lasted two extra periods.  

The Stevenson Patriots lived up to their top billing building a 22-6 lead after one quarter en route to an 80-48 victory over Foreman.  Homewood-Flossmoor survived a stubborn Lincoln Park squad as Kendric Pryor made three free throws with three seconds left, as the Vikings won 47-44.  Rockford Auburn’s Trevon Tyler scored 36 points as the Knights defeated Westinghouse 83-69.  Overtime game number two took place with DePaul College Prep knocking off Saint Charles East 50-47 in an extra session and Maine South coasted in their 56-42 win over Urban Prep Englewood.  The host Hinsdale Central Red Devils made the most of their home court and took two overtimes to outlast Crete-Monee 66-59.  And despite traveling over 1700 miles earlier that morning, Crespi Carmelite shook off any jet lag in defeating Perspectives MSA 68-42.

On day two, consolation quarterfinal wins were recorded by Foreman, Lincoln Park, Saint Charles East and Crete-Monee.  In the championship quarterfinals, Stevenson became the first team to punch a ticket to the Final Four by outscoring Richards 41-15 in the second half on their way to a 72-41 victory.  Homewood-Flossmoor recorded their 1,000 victory in their program’s history beating Rockford Auburn 61-45.  Maine South scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter to defeat DePaul College Prep 40-36 and Crespi Carmelite built a 19-point halftime advantage and withstood a second-half rally by Hinsdale Central to secure a 61-52 win.

Crete-Monee’s Jeremiah Matthews equaled the three-day old single game scoring record of 36 points in his team’s 75-65 victory over Saint Charles East in the consolation semi-finals.  Lincoln Park defeated Foreman 50-32 to advance to the consolation final.  Rockford Auburn bested Richards 80-51 and Hinsdale Central made 13-of-15 second half free throws to move on to the fifth place game in their 46-43 victory over DePaul College Prep.

The championship semifinals saw Homewood-Flossmoor knock off defending Illinois state champion Stevenson 55-51 to reach the inaugural title game, as the Vikings’ bench outscored the Patriots 27-13.  Stevenson shot 1-of-15 from outside the three point arc.  The other semifinal saw the defending California state champion advance to the championship with a 45-37 victory over Maine South.  The Hawks also shot 1-of-15 from the three-point stripe.

Crete-Monee won the Consolation Championship by defeating Lincoln Park 50-43.  An exciting Fifth Place final saw the tournament’s fourth overtime contest, as Hinsdale Central upended Rockford Auburn 72-70.  Travon Tyler scored 32 points for Auburn and Peter Blust added 27 for Central.  Brad Perry scored the game winning lay-up with less than a second remaining to give Maine South a 48-46 victory over Stevenson in the Third Place game.

Crespi Carmelite captured the first ever HC Squared championship trophy with a 50-41 victory over Homewood-Flossmoor.  Tournament Most Valuable Player, and University of Southern California bound, De’Anthony Melton led the Celts with 22 points and six rebounds.  Crespi broke a 34-34 tie with a 15-0 run highlighted by Melton’s 12 points during that stretch.  The tournament champions won four games and never trailed one second in any of their contests. 

Along with Melton, Crete’s Jeremiah Matthews, Homewood-Flossmoor’s Kendric Pryor, Stevenson’s Justin Smith and Auburn’s Trayvon Tyler were named to the Classic’s first team All-Tournament squad.
 

2015 Opening Toss of Game 1

Homewood-Flossmoor celebrates after program win # 1000

Crespi Carmelite won the inaugural HCHC

 De'Anthony Melton was 2015 MVP