Michael O’Brien’s notebook: Jan. 16, 2016

Spent the afternoon waiting outside Morgan Park in the cold. Still no date or venue for the Battle of Vincennes though.

Hearing whispers that it might be possible for the game to happen at Morgan Park, but who knows.

Then I headed out to Wheaton-Warrenville South to see some actual basketball. Watched the second half of York vs. Notre Dame. The Dons won, their second victory of the day. Coach Tom Les went with an odd lineup for most of the game, not sure if he’s trying to shake things up or just trying to play a lot of guys since it was the second game in a few hours.

Then Justin Smith put on a show in Stevenson’s win over Downers Grove South. Smith was really impressive, the best I’ve ever seen him play. He was getting some mixed reviews early in the year but Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose says he’s seen a real improvement since mid-December.

Smith probably deserved a little more patience at the beginning of the season. It isn’t easy going from a complementary soph to a star player expected to lead the team in scoring and rebounding every night.

They have a nice tournament going over at Wheaton-Warrenville South. I was a bit skeptical about it last year, but I think it could become a pretty popular event if they stick with it. The semis are at 11 a.m. and 12:30 on Monday: Notre Dame vs. Hinsdale South and Benet vs. Stevenson. Title game is at 7 p.m.

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Sounds like Curie took a little Public League madness across the border today. Read all about it in the Michigan City News-Dispatch. Condors pick up a forfeit loss.

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Today’s top games

No. 18 Benet 72, Waukegan 47: This game was close when I left after the first quarter. Looks like the Redwings took over. The Bulldogs are starting all three Brown freshman. Ups and downs are to be expected, but the future is bright.

No. 6 Bogan 61, Kalamazoo Central, MI 58: The Bengals are really playing well. Remember, they took Simeon to OT at Simeon. James Jones scored 30.

Catholic Memorial, MA 74, No. 7 St. Joseph 73: Heartbreaking loss for the Chargers, who played well against a top national team.

No. 4 Evanston 50, Fremd 43: I was on upset watch for this one all week, looked like a possible trap game. The Wildkits held strong.