The atmosphere at De La Salle last night was different. The crowd was pretty good. De La Salle had a nice student section behind one basket and the main stands were full of people. But that wasn’t what made things notable.
It was all on the court. It nearly felt like a Simeon-Young game from a few years back. The first quarter was a mess of intensity and athleticism and very sloppy. But it was because the game mattered so much to both teams.
I can’t remember that kind of feeling from a Catholic League basketball game in the past. St. Rita vs. Mount Carmel late last year was good, but that was late in the season, when that tends to happen in all conferences. This is all intangible and feel free to laugh at me, but something was different last night. It seemed as if the CCL Blue had become the area’s premier basketball conference in the presason. Last night’s matchup was the first time it felt that way in the gym.
Super 25 results
No. 1 Thornton 68, Rich 62 OT: The area’s top-ranked team holds on. Barely. Isaiah Green scored 24 and Morez Johnson added 15 points and 14 rebounds. It’s a loss, but still a statement for the Raptors. Both of these teams play at the Big Dipper holiday tournament.
No. 4 Bloom 59, Bishop Noll, Ind. 55: Elijah Lovemore nearly hit a triple-double with 13 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 steals. Jayden Clark added 16 points and 5 rebounds. and Elijah Allen had 10 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks.
No. 5 Mount Carmel 59, No. 12 De La Salle 46
Marian Catholic 71, No. 8 Marist 60: Upset of the night and the first big win for Rick Romeli.
No. 9 Brother Rice 70, Leo 34
No. 11 Young 73, Pallotti, Md. 41: A win on the road for the Dolphins. Antonio Munoz scored 18 and freshman Howard Williams added 10 points and 6 rebounds.
No. 13 Benet 51, Carmel 45
No. 15 Glenbrook North 49, Evanston 34: Hearing this was the Spartans’ first win at Evanston in 10 years. That’s a bit wild.
No. 17 Glenbrook South 69, Maine South 49
No. 18 Bolingbrook 79, Sandburg 69: JT Pettigrew had 22 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks. David Vargas scored 29 for the Eagles.
No. 19 Riverside-Brookfield 75, Elmwood Park 33: Stefan Cicic has been consistent this season. The big man contributed 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
No. 20 Lincoln Park 80, Oakland Fremont, Calif. 61: A win on the west coast. Semaje Howard scored 17 and Ahmad Lee added 13. The Lions handled their first week in the rankings very well.
No. 24 Kankakee 74, Columbia Battle, Mo. 72 OT
No. 25 Loyola 40, St. Ignatius 37
Other notable games
Andrew 60, Bradley-Bourbonnais 56: Athan Berchos had 15 points and 8 assists and Kaleb Simms added 14 points and 6 assists. Really nice win for the T-Bolts.
Barrington 42, Conant 34: Adam Baird led the way with 13 points. Congrats to coach Bryan Tucker, who picked up his 500th win this week.
DeKalb 63, Naperville North 53
Fremd 62, Schaumburg 45: The first loss of the season for the Saxons. Sophomore Jordan Williams had 19 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists and Ryan Cox scored 15.
Lane 53, Taft 48: This game was played at NOW Arena, the old Sears Center. Shaheed Solebo had a big game with 22 ponits and 10 rebounds for the Champions. Dylan Pepper made the go-ahead three with 1:10 left.
Oak Lawn 68, Evergreen Park 66: Henry Martinez scored 20 and Donte Montgomery added 18 points.
Oswego East 54, Yorkville 40: Illinois recruit Jason Jakstys posted 17 points and 14 rebounds but it wasn’t enough for the Foxes.
Palatine 64, Hoffman Estates 43: Connor May scored 29.
Niles North 87, Niles West 61: The Vikings win the rivalry game. Yaris Irby scored 22. Davee Flowers led Niles West with 22 points.
Waubonsie Valley 52, Metea Valley 39: The Warriors may be headed for the Super 25. Junior Moses Wilson had 17 points and four rebounds. Treshawn Blissett added 15 and Waubonsie Valley is 8-0. Jake Nosek led Metea Valley with 11.
West Aurora 53, Plainfield North 51: A close one between two Pontiac teams. Plainfield North has been competitive against some very good teams so far this year. Jordan Brooks scored 12 for the Blackhawks. CJ Savage and Terrence Smith each had 10.
Top performances
Bartlett’s Nathan Scearce: 33 points, 7 assists, 4 steals in a 77-71 win vs. East Aurora
Crane’s Brad Blackman: 14 points, 8 rebounds, 7 blocks in a 53-49 win vs. Austin.
East Aurora’s Jalen Bealer: 34 points in a 77-71 loss vs. Bartlett
Eisenhower’s AJ Abrams: 29 points in a 71-63 win vs. Richards.
Perspectives-MSA’s Courtney Scott: 20 points, 10 rebounds in a 62-57 OT loss vs. McClymonds, Calif.
Providence’s Seth Chaney: 22 points in a 48-44 win vs. Montini.
St. Francis’ Kelton McEwen: 20 points in a 71-65 OT win vs. St. Francis de Sales.
St. Viator’s Henry Marshall: 22 points in a 60-42 win vs. Joliet Catholic.
Friday’s takes
- Oh my, we almost needed a new No. 1 team again this week. It’s clearly going to be a wild year. Thornton has a very challenging schedule and is bound to pick up several losses. It will be interesting to see if a handful of teams are able to establish themselves as the area’s elite. Right now I’m not sure if that will happen or not.
- Marian Catholic takes down Marist. The RedHawks are very young and will have some stumbles this season, but that doesn’t take away from Rick Romeli’s first big win as head coach. The East Suburban Catholic is going to be a lot of fun this season.
Saturday’s storylines
- The monster matchup over at Mount Carmel today is Bloom vs. Brother Rice at 5 p.m. Whichever team wins is immediately in the conversation for No. 1. It will be my first look at both teams this season. Right before that, at 3:30, is Lincoln-Way East vs. Lindblom.
- There’s a big game up north tonight. Stevenson is at Warren. The Patriots knocked off Lake Zurich and are off to a 4-2 start under new coach Will Benson. Warren is 7-1 behind freshman Jaxson Davis.
- Geneva is at Glenbard North tonight. I’ve had my eye on the Panthers since late last season at they are off to a 6-0 start.
