Proviso West Holiday Tournament preview

Proviso West Holiday Tournament

The favorite: Kenwood is loaded. The Broncos feature a plethora of scoring options, including dynamic junior scoring guard Darrin Ames, senior guard Trey Pettigrew and 6-7 Davius Loury, to go with size, speed and athleticism.

Top contender: Young has a pair of bookend bigs in 6-8 Miami-Florida recruit AJ Casey and NIU-bound Xavier Amos that few teams can match up with. If the Dolphins can get some steady guard play that they can count on, this team is as good as any.

Sleepers: The likelihood of anyone in this field being able to knock off the two big boys is pretty slim. Nonetheless, Clark, Lincoln Park, Proviso East and Morton will all give it a shot as the second wave of teams in this tournament. Surprising Proviso East, which has beaten Benet this season, has yet to lose. How good are the Pirates? Coach Donnie Boyce’s team features a nice scoring combo of Javon Johnson and Joloni Johnson that must be accounted for each game.

Tournament storyline: Let’s cut to the chase. Everyone fully expects and is highly anticipating a Kenwood-Young final. It’s the game people want to materialize in this tournament and an opportunity to learn a lot about each of these powers.

Top five players to watch: Darrin Ames, Trey Pettigrew and Davius Lowry, Kenwood; AJ Casey and Xavier Amos, Young.

Schedule

First round, Dec. 27

Proviso West vs. Lincoln Park, 9:30 a.m.

Morgan Park vs. Clark, 11 a.m.

Hammond Central, Ind. vs. Fenwick, 12:30

TF North vs. Kenwood, noon

Farragut vs. Gary Bowman, Ind., 4

Proviso East vs. Bogan, 5:30

Zion-Benton vs. Morton, 7

Young vs. Crete-Monee, 8:30

Quarterfinals, Dec. 28

Semifinals, Dec. 29

Championship, Dec. 30