Michael O’Brien’s notebook: Jan. 10, 2018

Lincoln Park coach Pat Gordon surprised me a little bit after tonight’s game when he said he expected his team to be this good this season.

He said they proved it to him in June. He certainly was right. His quote about scheduling was also interesting, it proves that he has no small plans for this season.

“We play a lot of games on the road because we know we will have to be on the road in the city playoffs to win it,” Gordon said. “In the state playoffs we will have to be on the road to win it. So we haven’t scheduled many home games. I think that has helped build some camaraderie.”

I was expecting the Lions to prove to be a Super 25 team. They have the resume that proves that. I wasn’t so sure I was going to be convinced they were a top ten team, but that happened tonight. Terrence Shannon and Chris Roberts look like three-year varsity starters, despite their relative lack of experience. Read all about Lincoln Park’s win at North Lawndale.

Tonight’s top games

Clark 49, Jones 46: Coby Weekly had a huge night with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Prentiss Alexander added 14 points and eight rebounds.

Manley 100, Kelvyn Park 51: The Wildcats put up three digits. Derreon Campbell scored 28, Javion Williams 24 and Larry Allen 22.

Austin 72, Juarez 66: The Tigers remain in first place thanks to 21 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks from freshman Michael McDowell. Andrew McCline drained five three-pointers.

Marian Catholic 67, Richards 56: A solid win for the Spartans ahead of tomorrow’s big game against Marist. Ahron Ulis scored 21 and Chris White added 20 points and seven rebounds.

Crane 65, Wells 59: The Cougars have Robert Hobbs back. He missed two weeks with a heart issues and came back with a vengeance, 27 points and 10 rebounds. Jimarius Sneed added 13 points and nine boards.

Momence 103, Reed-Custer 77: Momence Watch is no joke. The Redskins set a new school record for points tonight. Lamarius Lillared scored 28 and his brother Lamar added 22. Woodrow Hubbard had 18.

Orr 83, Uplift 63: The Titans actually led at the half. Dannie Smith had 24 points and 12 rebounds and Chase Adams added 24 points and 10 assists.

Perspectives 76, Urban Prep-West 54: Balanced effort by the Wolves. Karson Heins had 14 points and six assists and Issac McKay added 13 points and six rebounds.

Oak Park 61, Downers Grove North 45: The Huskies take down a good team pretty handily. Anthony Roberts scored 14 and Chase Robinson scored 12.

Legal Prep 50, Chicago Tech 48: Big Blue-West win to move into a tie with Austin for first. Dee Hardy scored 16 and Darrell Williams added 11.

Lane 88, Alcott 45: The Indians are now 5-0 in conference. Vuk Djuric led the way with 15 points and 13 rebounds.

Lake View 63, Mather 48: Kevin Delaney scored 17 and Bobby Hester added 11.

Waukegan 67, Zion-Benton 59: Bryant Brown and Ja’Dyn Brown each scored 20. Freshman Amar Augillard scored 21 for the Zee-Bees.