HINSDALE CENTRAL HOLIDAY CLASSIC

HC SQUARED:  It's The Best Game In Town

Replay Review 2019

Christian Henry hit a game-winning floater in the lane as time expired to propel Saint Rita to a 61-59 victory over Willowbrook.  Defending HCHC champion Marian Catholic held off a ferocious fourth quarter rally by TF South, as the Rebels cut the Spartans lead to one-point with five seconds remaining in a 57-54 victory.  Devin Davis scored 33 points and established a new single-game HC Squared record for three-pointers, with seven, as Westinghouse defeated Hinsdale Central 78-73.  DePaul Prep's Lance Mosley and Tyler Johnson combined for 50 points as the Rams got past Richards 75-61.

In Day Two Consolation action, Maine South, Rockford Auburn, TF South and Richards all recorded victories.  The Rebels dealt Willowbrook their second straight last second defeat when Elijah Watson scored his game winning layup with two seconds remaining. In the winners bracket, Homewood-Flossmoor used a 19-0 run to end the second quarter and start the third to secure control in their 83-54 triumph over Saint Charles East.  H-F shot 61 percent from the floor, including 53 percent from the three-point line.  Stevenson defeated Oswego East 51-42 in quarterfinal action.  The Patriots took advantage of 11 Wolfpack turnovers to score 18 points.  Marian Catholic used a 9-0 fourth quarter run to topple Saint Rita 57-49 in the third quarterfinal.  And DePaul Prep advanced to their fourth straight HCHC Final Four, with a 61-43 win over Westinghouse.

Richards and Maine South recorded victories in the Consolation bracket to advance to the Consolation Championship.  The highlight of early play in the third day was provided by Willowbrook's Everett Stubblefield III, who hit a 30-footer to send the Warriors' game against host Hinsdale Central to overtime and then drilled a 50-footer to win the game at the end of overtime.  The videos of the back-to-back buzzer beaters became an instant classic on social media.  Oswego East edged Saint Charles East 65-51 to advance to the fifth place final.  Saint Rita closed the first half on a 15-0 run to defeat Westinghouse 75-45 to secure a fifth place game berth.

Homewood-Flossmoor advanced to the title game for the fourth time in five years, as the Vikings defeated Stevenson 48-38 in the first semifinal.  HF shot 53% from the floor and outscored the Patriots 28-16 in the paint.  DePaul Prep secured its first ever trip to the championship game of the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic, as the Rams ousted defending tournament champ Marian Catholic 39-35 in semifinal number-two.  A pair of free throws by Tyler Johnson put DePaul up for good with just over one minute remaining.

The final day of the tournament saw two tournament records established.  Saint Charles East's Chase Monkmeyer tied the single game scoring mark with 36 points in a fourth round victory over Westinghouse.  Willowbrook's Sam Tumilty recorded 10 steals against Lincoln-Way Central.  In the trophy round, Richards, who had only won three games in the past four years of HCHC, won their third straight game of the 2019 campaign en route to taking home the Consolation Championship, in their 62-56 victory over Maine South.  Antwan Jones hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the Bulldogs a lead they would never relinquish.  Will Wolfe scored 24 points to help Oswego East capture the fifth place trophy in their 57-47 win over Saint Rita.  The Wolfpack shot 54% from the floor, outscored Saint Rita 36-20 in the paint and had a 31-21 edge on the glass.  Marian Catholic's Ahron Ulis was efficient by scoring 18 points on 5-for-7 shooting and a perfect 6-for-6 at the line, as the Spartans defeated Stevenson 53-48 for third place. 

Homewood-Flossmoor captured their first HCHC title by edging DePaul Prep 53-48 in overtime.  H-F was making their fourth appearance in the championship game, after three losses in the first four years of the event.  Tournament MVP RJ Ogom led the Vikings with 19 points and six rebounds.  Teammate Joel Watts (who won a HCHC championship with Saint Rita in 2017) scored 14 points for the victors.  The game saw six ties and eight lead changes, as neither team recorded more than a five-point advantage through the 36 minutes.  DePaul led by five with four minutes remaining but Brandon Brewer and Ogom hit back-to-back three-pointers to recapture the lead.  A three-pointer by DePaul's six-foot, ten-inch Brian Matthews sent the game to overtime.  Kenton's Pryor's layup was the only basket of the extra session, as H-F outscored the Rams 5-0 in the extra session. 

Homewood-Flossmoor's RJ Ogom and Josiah Palmer; DePaul Prep's Tyler Johnson Johnson and Lance Mosley; and Marian Catholic's Joe Green were named to the first team of the All-Tournament squad.