HINSDALE CENTRAL HOLIDAY
CLASSIC
HC SQUARED: It's The Best Game In Town
Top Ten Moments
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HINSDALE CENTRAL HOLIDAY
CLASSIC |
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TOURNAMENT HISTORY |
REPLAY REVIEW | HC SQUARED ALUMNI | MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS | ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS |
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HCHC RECORD BOOK |
TOURNAMENT PROGRAMS | HISTORICAL PHOTOS | TOP TEN MOMENTS | TEAM HISTORY |
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1. INSTANT REPLAY BUZZER BEATERS -- Willowbrook didn't have much last second heroics in their first two games of the 2019 Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic. They were beaten at the buzzer in the opening round and then lost by a single point in the second round on a basket with two seconds left. Senior guard Everette Stubblefield III made sure to rewrite history in the third round. Stubblefield hit a 30-foot three-pointer to send the game to overtime and then tallied a 50-foot three-pointer to win the game at the end of overtime. Click here to watch the two buzzer beaters. |
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2. YOU CAN'T LOSE IF YOU DON'T FALL
BEHIND -- Crespi Carmelite liked to be in the lead. In their four game sweep of the inaugural Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic, the Celts won their opener by 26 points, but captured victory in their last three games -- each by single digit margins. Crespi didn't have think about many comebacks, as they never trailed one second in any of their games. In 128 minutes played over four games, Crespi led for 122 minutes and 32 seconds and saw the scored tied for five minutes and twenty-eight seconds. |
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3. PERFECTION ON THE COURT -- Going into the final day of competition, there were a number of worthy candidates for Tournament Most Valuable Player of the 2016 Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic. When Bolingbrook won the title 67-62 over Homewood-Flossmoor there was little doubt who the top player should be. The Raiders' Nana Akenten had an impressive stat line in the title game with 23 points and 13 rebounds, but the most telling stat would be found on Bolingbrook's cumulative four game composite. Akenten played 104 minutes and never made a turnover. |
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4. AND THE BAND PLAYED ON AND ON
AND ON -- Well there was no band present during the final quarterfinal game of the 2016 Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic, but the basketball went on for a long time. In what was the fourteenth longest game in IHSA history, DePaul College Prep outlasted host Hinsdale Central 64-62 in six overtimes. The evenly matched contest featured 21 ties and 22 lead changes. The score was even tied at the end of the first and second quarters -- as well as the end of the fourth quarter and after each of the first five overtimes. Hinsdale's Jack Hoiberg tied the scored at 36-36 converting on a traditional three-point play with 11 second left in regulation. Six periods later, Matthew Tonkel tipped in the game winner. |
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IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED -- In its first four years at the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic, Homewood-Flossmoor played in the championship game of HC Squared three times, and finished in second place in each of those games. 2019 was a better outcome for the Vikings, as they captured their first ever HCHC title by defeating DePaul Prep 53-48 in overtime. H-F outscored the Rams 5-0 in the extra session to capture its first championship. After the 2020 HC Classic was canceled, the Vikings came back to win another championship in 2021, becoming the first school to win multiple titles. |
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THE COMEBACK KIDS -- Never mind the win-loss record. Saint Rita entered the 2017 Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic with a 5-7 record and didn't seem to earn the respect that they deserved. The Mustangs trailed in the fourth quarter in three of their four games, including the championship tilt -- where they were chasing defending HCHC champion Bolingbrook with five minutes remaining in the game. The Mustangs outscored their four opponents 57-31 in the fourth quarter of their four HC Squared games, en route to becoming the first team to win the HC Classic after entering the tournament with a losing record. |
| 7. IT'S HARD TO TOP JUSTIN
-- From the first day of the inaugural 2015 Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic, Saint Charles East's Justin Hardy became synonymous in scoring points at the HCHC. Hardy played twelve games over three years at HC Squared an became the tournament's all-time career scoring leader by scoring in double digits in every game he played on the Hinsdale hardwood. Justin ended his three years of tournament play with 233 points -- 83 points ahead of second place on the career scoring list. Hardy would play at Washington University before passing away at age 22. In 2022 the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic named its Most Valuable Player Award after Hardy. |
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HOME COURT COOKING
-- It's always good for the gate when the home team makes it to the championship game. The 2022 Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic not only set records for attendance, but it catapulted the host Red Devils to their first HCHC tournament championship. That Hinsdale Central team became the only school in tournament history to win all four of their games by double digits. It also became a springboard for the Red Devils, as it started a school-record streak of 22 straight victories and an all-time school best mark for wins in a season. |
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9. TITLE GAME BLOCK PARTY
-- The two teams playing each other in the 2018 Championship Game were familiar with each other. Marian Catholic and Homewood-Flossmoor met earlier in the year during Thanksgiving Week and played at the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic the year before in the Consolation Championship. Familiarity with each other certainly paid dividends for the defense, as the two teams combined for an all-time record 24 blocked shots. At the end of the first quarter, the two teams had a collective five made baskets and 11 blocked shots. Marian defeated the Vikings 52-45 to capture their first Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic title. |
| 10. THAT'S A LOT OF WINS -- Homewood-Flossmoor's quarterfinal victory over Rockford Auburn was not only noteworthy to see the Vikings advanced to the 2015 HCHC Final Four, but it marked the 1,000 victory in program history. In it's 56 year basketball history, H-F won 25 regional championships and advanced to the state finals three times, finishing third in 1985 and second in 2004. In its first two years at the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic, the Vikings have won more games (6) and had more Final Four appearances (2) than any other team. |
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