Oswego
East and Willowbrook were added to the tournament, giving the
sixteen-team field representation from 15 different conferences.
Coming into the tournament, nine different teams were ranked in the
Chicagoland area. In a battle between two teams that were both
in the rankings, Willowbrook out pointed Richards 66-61 as Everett
Stubbefield and Matas Masys combined for 48 points for the winners.
Marian Catholic lived up to their lofty expectations by defeating
Glenbrook North 67-47, and shot 64% from the field. Mark
Musial's three-pointer with 20 seconds remaining lifted Saint
Charles East past Stevenson 51-48. And top-seed DePaul Prep
had little trouble with Urban Prep Englewood in their 60-29 victory. In a game
that featured 15 lead changes and eight ties, Saint Rita outlasted
Rockford Auburn 54-52. The Mustangs won their fifth game in
five attempts in tournament and history and the Knights were dealt
their first-ever first round loss. Ray J Dennis and Kamron
Battle combined for 52 points in Oswego East's 89-71 victory over
Westinghouse. Devin Davis added 30 points for the Warriors.
Homewood-Flossmoor lead wire-to-wire in their 52-40 win over
Hinsdale Central, limiting the Red Devils to only 29% shooting from
the floor. And in the second game of the opening round which
featured a match up of two ranked teams, Lincoln Park held off a
fourth quarter rally by Maine South to win 46-43.
In Day
Two action, Richards, Stevenson, Rockford Auburn and Hinsdale
Central recorded second round consolation bracket victories.
Marian Catholic advanced to the semifinals by defeating Willowbrook
58-54, and shot 53% from the floor. DePaul Prep outscored
Saint Charles East 30-19 in the second half to advanced to the Final
Four for the third straight year. Lance Moseley tallied 21
points, including 5-of-6 shooting from three-point range, for the
Rams. Oswego secured a semifinal spot by ousting
Saint Rita 66-55. It was the Mustangs first loss in two years
at HCHC. Homewood-Flossmoor defeated Lincoln Park 34-33 in the
last quarterfinal, as the Vikings outscored the Lions 22-10 in the
paint.
Stevenson
and Hinsdale Central both recorded consolation bracket victories and
advanced to a title game on the left side of the bracket. Yemi
Eitulo tipped home the game winner (his only points of the game)
before time expired to lead Marian Catholic to a 44-42 semifinal
victory over DePaul Prep. The Rams opened up a 31-23 lead in
the third quarter, but Marian went on a 10-0 run to give the
Spartans a 42-37 lead with two minutes remaining. Lance
Moseley hit a 3-pointer and Perry Cowan added a jumper to tie the
game with 40 seconds left, before Marian held for the last shot.
Marian advanced to their first championship game in HCHC tournament
history. Isaac Stanback had a double-double with 23 points and
15 rebounds, as Homewood-Flossmoor advanced past Oswego East 69-55
in semifinal #2. The Vikings scored the first eight points of
the game and never trailed. Oswego's Ray J Dennis, who scored
57 points in his first two games, was held scoreless in the first
half. Homewood-Flossmoor would be making their third
appearance in the championship game of the Hinsdale Central Holiday
Classic over the past four years.
Stevenson
took a 15-5 first quarter advantage on its way to a 60-37
Consolation Championship victory over host Hinsdale Central.
The Patriots shot 61% from the floor in the win. Saint Rita
used a 10-0 fourth quarter run to pull away from Saint Charles East
and earn a 49-36 victory in the Fifth Place Game. The
Mustangs, who have won 7 of their 8 games played at the HCHC, were
led by Joel Watts who tallied 13 points. Oswego East took home
the third place trophy in their first ever showing at HCHC, and
upended DePaul Prep 58-55 in double overtime. Ray J Dennis
scored 24 points in the contest and established the all-time
single-season tournament scoring record with 98 points over four
games. DePaul's Perry Cowan finished his HCHC career with 16
points. Cowan, who played in 16 HCHC tournament games over the
past four years, was named to his third straight All-Tournament
Team. DePaul Prep finished in fourth place for the third
straight year.
In a
rematch of a game held earlier in the year, Marian Catholic captured
their first HCHC crown, by defeating Homewood-Flossmoor 52-45 in the
championship game. Marian built a two-point halftime advantage
and then went on a 11-0 run in the third quarter to break open the
deadlock. The game featured defense around the basket,
as the teams combined for an all-time tournament record 24 blocked
shots. Tournament MVP Ahron Ulis lead the Spartans with 17
points.
Marian
Catholic's Ahron Ulis and Christopher White; DePaul Prep's Perry
Cowan; Oswego East's Ray J Dennis and Homewood-Flossmoor's Isaac
Stanback were named to the first team of the All-Tourney squad.
|
Ray J
Dennis of Oswego East set the
tournament scoring record with 98 points. |
De Paul
Prep's Perry Cowan was named to
the All-Tournament Team for the fourth time |
Marian
Catholic's Ahron Ulis was
the 2018 tournament MVP |
Marian
Catholic became the fourth champion in the first four years of the
Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic with their 2018 tourney title |
|