Saint Rita was the lone
new addition to the tournament field for 2017.
DePaul Prep was anxious
to start the tournament, but had to wait a few extra minutes as the
Crete-Monee bus arrived late delaying the start of third annual
Holiday Classic. The Rams got back on schedule in the second
quarter and outscored the Warriors 18-3 in the second eight minutes
en route to a 43-30 victory. Stevenson erased a 10-point
halftime deficit to stun Homewood-Flossmoor 48-47.
Jackson Qualley and Nick Bonk combined for 13 fourth quarter points
for the Patriots. Saint Rita outlasted Westinghouse 60-53,
outscoring the Warriors 19-8 in the final quarter. Saint Rita
turned 18 offensive rebounds into 21 second chance points.
Maine South scored the game's first 15 points and never looked back
in their 62-49 win over Richards.
Rockford Auburn advanced to the
winners bracket for the third straight year defeating Glenbrook
North 50-40. The Knights opened the game with a 12-2 run.
Defending HCHC champ Bolingbrook won their fifth game in as many
tries at Hinsdale with a 53-36 triumph over previously undefeated
Urban Prep Englewood. Saint Charles East edged the host
Hinsdale Central Red Devils 70-68 in two overtimes. In the
second extra period Saint Charles' Justin Hardy's two hand slam,
with 25 seconds remaining, gave the Saints a lead the would never
relinquish. Terrence Shannon's 26-point performance led
Lincoln Park to a 67-61 upset first round victory over Marian
Catholic.
Homewood-Flossmoor,
Westinghouse, Glenbrook North and Marian Catholic won second round
consolation bracket contests. In winners' bracket action,
DePaul Prep advanced to the Final Four for the second straight year
in their 49-36 victory over Stevenson. The Rams held Stevenson
to 9-for-32 shooting from the floor and 2-of-12 from the three-point
arc. Saint Rita posted their second straight comeback victory
defeating Maine South 48-43. The Hawks started out red hot
with a 19-8 first quarter advantage. The Mustangs took the
lead for good in the fourth quarter, finishing the game on 12-0 run.
Bolingbrook opened the quarterfinal game against Rockford Auburn
with a 15-4 run to start the game. Tyler Cochran scored a game
high 22 for the Raiders, who outrebounded the Knights 46-28.
Lincoln Park built a sixteen-point lead with two minutes remaining
in the game, before Saint Charles East pulled within three in a
ferocious comeback which just fell short, as the Lions prevailed
76-73. Both teams brought their "A" games on offense, as
Lincoln park shot 64 percent from the field and the Saints tallied a
63 percent success mark from the floor.
South suburban rivals
Homewood-Flossmoor and Marian Catholic both posted consolation
bracket victories. Maine South ousted Stevenson 66-64 in
double overtime and Saint Charles beat Rockford Auburn 61-35 in the
fifth place bracket. In a semi-final match up pitting two
teams from the Chicago Catholic League, first time HCHC entrant
Saint Rita advanced to the championship game by defeating DePaul
Prep 56-37. The Mustangs had eight players put points on the
scoreboard and were led by Javon Cooley who scored 15 points off the
bench. DePaul's Raheem Anthony tallied 15 points for the Rams.
Bolingbrook made it to the HCHC championship game for the second
straight year in their 59-56 victory over Lincoln Park. The
Raiders guard tandem of Kaleb Thornton and Joseph Yesufu combine for
28 points. Chris Roberts paced Lincoln Park with 20 points.
Marian Catholic opened
their Consolation Championship game with 11-3 run to start the game
versus Homewood-Flossmoor and never trailed. The Spartans Ahron Ulis scored 17 points and was a perfect 11-for-11 at the free
throw line. Maine South captured the fifth place trophy by
defeating Saint Charles East 80-67. The Hawks Essam Hamwi
scored 27 points in the victory. Saint Charles' Justin Hardy
scored a game-high 28 points and furthered his all-time HCHC career
scoring mark of 233 points over the past three years. Lincoln
Park recorded a wire-to-wire victory over DePaul Prep in the third
place game. Terence Shannon had a double-double with 18 points
and 13 rebounds.
The third annual
Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic championship followed the usual
come-from-behind script for Saint Rita. Bolingbrook built a
34-25 halftime lead, thanks to five three-point baskets in the first
quarter. But in typical fashion the Mustangs came back,
starting the second half on a 11-2 run to pull even at 36-36.
The lead changed hands three times at the start of the fourth
quarter until Saint Rita pulled ahead for good on a Joel Watts
three-pointer with five minutes to play. The Musatngs shot 41
percent from the floor but were an impressive 77 percent from
the free throw line. Watts scored 13 for Saint Rita and Tyler
Cochran led the Raiders with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Saint
Rita entered the tournament with a losing 5-7 win-loss record and
recorded four victories in four days to claim the title in their
first attempt.
Saint Rita's Jordan Matthews was named
the tournament's Most Valuable Player. The remainder of the
first team of the All-Tournament Team included Tyler Cochran of
Bolingbrook; Essam Hamwi of Maine South; Justin Hardy of Saint
Charles East; and Terence Shannon of Lincoln Park.
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