HINSDALE CENTRAL HOLIDAY CLASSIC

HC SQUARED:  It's The Best Game In Town

Replay Review 2023

Morgan Park, Stevenson, Lincoln-Way Central and Lane Tech all won their second round consolation bracket contests.  In quarterfinal championship bracket play Marian Catholic never trailed in their 69-61 victory over Niles North.  James Bullock scored 22 points for the Spartans.  Niles North's Kaidan Chatham tallied 20 points and 17 rebounds in a losing effort.  In the second quarterfinal, Brother Rice upended Rockford Auburn 83-80 in overtime.  Marcos Gonzalez the Crusaders with 25 points, and shot 10-of-13 from the field.  Rockford's Amir Danforth scored 30 points for the Knights.  DePaul Prep advanced to their fifth Final Four in its last six Hinsdale Central Holiday Classics with a 51-33 victory over the host Red Devils.  Jaylen McElroy scored 18 points for the Rams, as Hinsdale shot only 36.7 percent on their home court.  Jehvion Starwood added 22 points and was one rebound shy of recording a double-double, as Oswego East got past Maine South 47-35. 

Stevenson and Morgan Park advanced to the Consolation Championship game and Rockford Auburn and Hinsdale Central punched tickets for a head-to-head meeting in the Fifth Place bracket.  In Championship quarterfinal play, Marian Catholic erased a 14-point deficit over the last 10 minutes of regulation and dealt Brother Rice their first loss of the season in a 75-74 double overtime victory.  James Bullock (21 points, 10 rebounds) put the Spartans up for good with a traditional three-point play with 29 seconds remaining.  After a couple of Marian free throws, Brother Rice hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to record the final outcome.  Zach Sharkey paced Marian with 26 points.  The game saw eight different players reach double figures in the scoring column.  DePaul Prep's Jaylen McElroy scored 13 of his game-high 17 points in the second half, as the Rams advanced to the title game with a 54-39 win over Oswego East.  The Wolves led 21-20 at half, but DePaul scored the first four points of the third quarter and never trailed the rest of the way. 

Saint Charles East, Schaumburg, Lane Tech and Niles North all won their fourth round games.  Stevenson captured their seventh trophies in the first eight editions of HCHC, with their 65-51 victory against Lincoln-Way Central.  The Patriots led 21-10 after the first quarter, extended their lead to 40-19 at halftime, and never looked back.  Rockford Auburn held on to win the fifth place trophy, with a 73-68 victory over Hinsdale Central.  Rakim Chaney scored 27 points for the Knights.  Oswego East took home the third place trophy in their 79-68 victory over Brother Rice.  Several long-time tournament record fell in the contest, as the Wolfpack's Jehvion Starwood broke the tournament' s single game scoring mark, with a 37-point performance -- shooting 16-of-24 from the floor, including 5-of-9 from downtown; and the Crusaders Zavier Fitch scored 26 points and had eight rebounds, and became the tournament's all-time single tournament rebounder with 51 boards in four games. And Brother Rice became the all-time highest scoring team in tournament play, averaging more than 71 points per contest.

In the championship game, DePaul Prep won their first ever Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic title by defeating Marian Catholic 57-35.  PJ Chambers led all scorers with 22 points.  The Rams built a 39-32 advantage after three quarters and outscored the Spartans 18-3 in the final frame.  DePaul Prep held Marian to only 1-of-12 shooting beyond the three-point arc.  The championship was the first for the Rams, who made five previous appearances in the tournament's Final Four.  During their four games, DePaul beat each one of their opponents by fifteen points or more, and allowed only 132 points in the tournament. 

Jaylan McElroy of DePaul Prep was named as the the Justin Hardy Most Valuable Player.  Joining him on the first team of the All-Tournament Team were Rockford Auburn's Amir Danforth; Zavier Fitch of Brother Rice; Zach Sharkey of Marian Catholic; and Jehvion Starwood of Oswego East.  The second team was composed of Aidan Bardic of Stevenson; PJ Chambers of DePaul Prep; Rakim Chaney of Rockford Auburn; Cale Cosme of Brother Rice; and Daniel Orozco of Hinsdale Central.
 

Jehvion Starwood set the single game scoring record
with a 37-point performance
 

DePaul Prep's Jaylen McElroy was named 2023 Most Valuable Player