Michael O’Brien’s notebook: Dec. 15, 2017

Wild night in Skokie. A couple longtime Niles North people told me it was the biggest crowd they had ever seen in the gym.

Another messy, turnover-filled game for me. That seems to be a theme this season. We’ve reached a point where the talented suburban teams are much less disciplined than most Public League teams. So you can throw that stereotype out the window.

That’s Evanston freshman Blake Peters up there in the photo. He was pretty impressive tonight with 16 points and nine rebounds. He’s loaded with confidence.

One quick note before we get to the games, it is late…I received a tip tonight that the Catholic League is going to have a vote on changing format again. Apparently there is a proposal to go back to the previous format where every team plays every team, not the current strong division/weaker division format.

Friday’s top games

No. 7 Bolingbrook 83, Cedar Falls, IA 81: The Raiders were down 15 points in the fourth quarter and rallied back for the win.

No. 21 Fenwick 61, Brother Rice: Buzzer beater by senior AJ Nixon (assisted by his brother Damari). Mike O’Laughlin led the Friars with 16 points.

St. Rita 33, Loyola 30: The Ramblers won the battle of tempo but not the game. St. Rita snaps a six-game losing streak.

St. Joseph 51, St. Ignatius 46: The Chargers are still hovering around the Super 25. Solid victory.

No. 18 St. Viator 54, No. 17 Benet 45: Huge ESCC win for St. Viator. Looks like it might be one of those years for Benet, always dangerous but not super consistent.

Conant 48, No. 23 Fremd 41: Major statement for the Cougars. Another big game from Ryan Davis, 22 points and 10 rebounds. Ben Schols added 16 points and four assists. I’m going to cover Conant against Hinsdale South tomorrow.

Notre Dame 69, Carmel 58: Monster game for Dusan Mahorcic with 34 points, 22 rebounds and 10 blocks. Has to be one of the best games any player has had this season.

Stevenson 60, Libertyville 54: The Patriots knock off Drew Peterson and surging Libertyville.

No. 14 West Aurora 68, Glenbard East 61 OT: Camron Donatlan seems to be pretty consistent this season, he scored 27. The Blackhawks have another big test tomorrow against St. Charles North.

No. 12 DePaul 53, Leo 47: The Rams keep rolling. Saw some pics and videos of this one, made me nostalgic for that old Leo gym. It has been too long. I think the last time I was there Michael Jordan and Todd Stroger were both at the game.

Bloom 63, No. 25 Homewood-Flossmoor 62: This will serve as a solid warning sign to everyone at Pontiac. Dante Maddox Jr. scored 34 points.

North Lawndale 49, Prosser 47: This one is closer than expected. Demetrius Douglas had 23 points and David Forrest is back from injury, added 10 points and 11 rebounds.

No. 9 Oak Park 63, Glenbard West 55: Anthony Roberts led balanced Huskies with 14 points. Evan Taylor had game-high 16 points for the Hilltoppers.

Waukegan 107, North Chicago 83: What a score. The Browns: Bryant Brown 31 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks. Ja’Dyn Brown 31 points, 11 rebounds. Jordan Brown 24 points, seven rebounds. Tyrek Cooper had 34 for the Warhawks.

No. 1 Simeon 85, Highland Park, TX 64: Simeon cruises at a big-time national showcase. Talen Horton-Tucker had a huge game with 40 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Messiah Jones added 14 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks.

Joliet Central 63, Oswego East 54: Steelmen keep rolling. Larry Thompson has just done a tremendous job since taking over the program.