Michael O’Brien’s notebook: Dec. 7, 2015

It was a dark day for Chicago basketball. Marshall, Bogan, Kenwood and Morgan Park all lost in Detroit.

I followed the games on Twitter thanks to Branden Hunter. Here are the results and some highlights:

Detroit Jesuit 64, Morgan Park 61: Charlie Moore 38 points

Detroit Western 65, Bogan 60

Detroit Renaissance 64, Kenwood 58: Nick Robinson 19 points

Detroit King 45, Marshall 39

All close games, but all loses. It’s not news to any of us that the area is in a down year, but looks like we have some actual proof.

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Tonight’s other notable result is Marist knocking off Seton 52-35. Really solid sign for the Redhawks. Marist is now 5-0, they also beat a decent Richards team.

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Simeon’s Zach Norvell, Josh Thomas and Ben Coupet watched Morgan Park beat Gonzaga (MD) on The Cube in their hotel room on Saturday (yes, the Simeon players stay in a hotel before the Chicago Elite Classic games). This week in practice the trio of seniors will do their best to prepare the Wolverines’ young players and transfers for Thursday’s game against the Mustangs. The Battle of Vincennes will have some extra intensity this week: neighborhood rival schools ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the area.

James Gordon started for Simeon in the 56-51 win over Young at the Chicago Elite Classic on Saturday. The Toledo recruit was a solid contributor, but it may take awhile for the transfer from Kentucky to get firmly adjusted to high-level Public League basketball.“It’s very different from Kentucky, very fast-paced,” Gordon said. “I did alright, could have done better.”

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NEW TO THE SUPER 25:

-Larkin was ranked in the preseason and then fell out after losing close games to Rockford Auburn and Indianapolis Pike. The Royals beat crosstown rival Elgin on Friday night and then beat East St. Louis on Saturday at the Chicago Elite Classic. Christian Negron, a 6-6 junior, put on a show. He had 20 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks and three steals.-Thornton picked up a big win against Lincoln-Way West on Friday to earn the No. 24 spot. Sam Taylor and Patrick Rucker are back from last year’s team and 6-6 senior Eryk Preston is contributing. The Wildcats face a major test against Bradley-Bourbonnais on Friday.

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PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH:

1. Nick Rakocevic, St. Joseph: The big man has been dominant in wins over East Aurora, St. Charles East, Downers Grove South and De La Salle.
2. Charlie Moore, Morgan Park: It’s just early December, but Thursday’s Moore-Zach Norvell showdown will have major POY implications. Moore scored 55 against Bowen last week and had 14 points and five assists against Evanston.
3. Zach Norvell, Simeon: He scored 19 points and had eight rebounds in the Wolverines’ big win over Simeon.
4. Barret Benson, Hinsdale South: It was a given that he would post huge numbers this season, but the Hornets have been better than anticipated and that is helping his POY chances.
5. Nojel Eastern, Evanston: Working his way back from injury, but his explosiveness is unrivaled in the area. Scored 19 points in a loss to Morgan Park on Saturday.

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LOOKING AHEAD

-No. 1 Morgan Park at No. 2 Simeon, Thursday: The city’s best rivalry. This would be a tremendous game if the teams were unranked, No. 1 vs. No. 2 just makes it that much more special.

-No. 6 Kenwood at No. 18 Hyde Park, Thursday: It’s a shame the Public League scheduled Red South and Red Central games on the same days of the week this season. Both conferences are loaded. The Thunderbirds are off to solid start, their only loss was at No. 13 Vocational. This will be the first test of the season for the Broncos.

-No. 14 Young at No. 16 Farragut, Friday: The Dolphins were puzzling against Simeon. The first half was a disaster, but they were scrappy and effective in the second. It’s going to be a major challenge to get a win on the road against a large, strong, veteran Farragut team. Tawone Keith, a 6-7 senior, is a load for the Admirals and Dulan Scott is one of the top guards in the city.