HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS

VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS

62nd Annual Plano Christmas Classic

Newark opened the final day of the tournament with a 59-58 win over No. 6 Streator Township to claim 15th place. Reggie Chapman led the Norsemen with 25 points, followed by Cody Kulbartz with 20. Kulbartz added four rebounds, Austin Reibel dished out five assists, and Jimmy Kath recorded two steals in the victory.

Hinckley-Big Rock finished 14th after falling 78-72 in overtime to Bremen. Five Royals scored in double figures, led by Luke Badal with 15 points. Harry Nier added 13 points, Marshall Ledbetter finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double, Jacob Orin scored 11, and Gavin Pickert added 10. Judah Miceli chipped in nine points and four steals in the loss.

Parkview Christian placed 12th after a 51-35 loss to Morris. Taejon Harris led the Falcons with 13 points, while Christian Mulder scored nine. James Jefferson finished with seven rebounds and two blocks, Collin Mulder grabbed six rebounds, and Oliver Malkowski recorded three steals.

Sandwich took eighth place following a 57-38 loss to No. 8 Timothy Christian. Nick Michalek led the Indians with 23 points and five rebounds. Griffin Somlock added seven points, and EJ Treptow pulled down seven rebounds.

No. 3 Marmion Academy defeated Northridge Prep 44-32 to win the consolation championship and place ninth overall. Joey Kramer led the Cadets with 13 points and seven steals. Ben Piekarz and Brendan Kavanaugh each scored 10 points, while Colin McEniry recorded seven rebounds.

No. 7 Mendota edged No. 5 Ottawa 46-45 to earn fifth place in the tournament.

Plano finished fourth after a 74-65 loss to No. 4 LaSalle-Peru. Ethan Taxis led the Reapers with 22 points, five steals and nine assists. Kevin Martinez scored 13 points, Eric Nunez added nine points on three 3-pointers, and Cooper Beaty led Plano with four rebounds.

Top-seed Kaneland claimed the championship with a 78-47 win over No. 2 Yorkville Christian, securing its third straight Plano Christmas Classic title. Marshawn Cocroft led the Knights with 22 points. Jeffrey Hassan added 17 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocks for a double-double. Isaiah Gipson scored 12 points off the bench, while Evan Frieders and Connor Kimme each scored 10 points and handed out four assists. Gipson and Jalen Carter both recorded three steals. For Yorkville Christian, Jayden Riley scored 21 points, added six rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Tray Alford finished with 10 points. Jordan Purvis led the Mustangs with seven rebounds.

The inaugural Jim Teckenbrock All-Tournament Team was announced, featuring Aiden Tillman and Cole Tillman of Mendota; Tray Alford and Jayden Riley of Yorkville Christian; Alan Contreras of Plano; Marc Gamble of Timothy Christian; Kishawn Gantt of Bremen; Marion Persich of LaSalle-Peru; Joey Kramer of Marmion Academy; Owen Sanders of Ottawa; and Jeffrey Hassan and Marshawn Cocroft of Kaneland. Cocroft was named the Jim Teckenbrock Most Valuable Player.

51st Annual Jack Tosh Holiday Classic

Oswego defeated Walter Payton College Prep 62-37 to advance to the consolation championship. Ethan Vahl led the Panthers with 13 points and seven rebounds. Cole Jansons added 11 points and six rebounds, Niko Jurkovich recorded two steals, and Mariano Velasco handed out six assists. Oswego will face host York in the consolation championship today at noon.

Batavia dropped a 49-45 non-bracket game to Glenbard North. Joe Reid scored 16 points to lead the Bulldogs, while Xavier Justice added 10. Reid recorded three steals, and Dane Farrar finished with eight rebounds and four assists.

Yorkville closed the tournament with a 61-45 non-bracket win over Hinsdale South. Joey Jakstys led the Foxes with 21 points and six rebounds. Braydon Porter scored 16 points, Gabe Sanders added 11, and Alonn Flint recorded three steals and five assists.

Hinsdale Central High School’s Holiday Tournament

Oswego East edged Niles North 72-71 to earn fifth place. Mason Lockett led the Wolves with 27 points and eight assists, while Dshaun Bolden added 23 points and 14 rebounds for a double-double. Lockett was named to the all-tournament team

LaMoille High School’s Holiday Classic

On day two, Leland fell 57-50 to Polo despite 26 points and 14 rebounds from Declan Brennan. Tristan Garcia recorded 13 rebounds for the Panthers.

JUNIOR VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

15th Annual JV Plano Christmas Classic

No. 2 Burlington Central defeated No. 5 Yorkville Christian 66-57 to win the tournament. Kaneland placed third with a 64-47 win over No. 3 Plano. LaSalle-Peru earned fifth with a 39-25 win over No. 8 Morris, Timothy Christian took seventh with a 36-34 win over Streator, Marmion Academy won the consolation championship 44-29 over Ottawa for ninth, Sandwich defeated Mendota 43-34 for 11th, No. 6 Aurora Central Catholic topped Northridge Prep 51-49 for 13th, and Hinckley-Big Rock beat Newark 59-29 for 15th.

VARSITY GIRLS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

Reindeer Games at Boylan Catholic High School in Rockford

Kaneland defeated Rockford Auburn 64-47 to earn fifth place. Amani Meeks led the Knights with 17 points, followed by Dani Ridolfi and Kyra Lilly with 15 points apiece. Meeks was named to the all-tournament team.

VARSITY GIRLS WRESTLING

At the Ottawa Hootenanny, hosted by Ottawa Township High School, Kaneland placed 19th as a team. Alena Padavana finished second at 125 pounds, and Sadie Kinsella placed second at 190 pounds.

UPCOMING VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL BROADCAST

WSPY will carry more boys varsity basketball this week, including Friday night’s (Jan. 2) nonconference matchup between Indian Creek and Genoa-Kingston at Genoa-Kingston High School. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., with coverage on 107.1 FM WSPY, online at wspynews.com, and simulcast on FM 98.9/AM 1360 WLBK.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Bowl season continues in college football, with several local athletes represented. Today on New Year’s Eve, No. 23 Iowa will face No. 14 Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Florida. Iowa’s roster includes linebacker Burke Gautcher of Sycamore, quarterback Mark Gronowski of Naperville-Neuqua Valley, linebackers Terrence Smith of West Aurora, Carson Cooney of Oswego and Bodey McCaslin of St. Charles East. Vanderbilt linebacker Bryce Henderson, a graduate of Aurora Christian, will also take part in the matchup.

WSPY extended best wishes to all local players competing in the ReliaQuest Bowl.