Michael O’Brien’s high school basketball notebook

When Joe Henricksen filed his Weekend Forecast last night I took a quick look at it and figured he had definitely picked the Bartlett-East Aurora game wrong. I’ve seen both teams this season and thought that the Tomcats were at least 10 points better than Bartlett.

I clearly did not account for the impact the big man has on the game. Conrad Luczynski, Bartlett’s 7-3 senior, posted a triple double with 25 points, 15 rebounds, 13 blocked shots and five assists. That’s one heck of a game.

In related news, the last kid that colleges ignored from the Upstate Eight, John Konchar, did this against the Timberwolves on Thursday: 15 points on 6 of 7 shooting, 17 rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes.

The idea that there is no room at any Division 1 college for Luczynski because “the game has changed” and every lousy college team is now the Golden State Warriors is pretty hilarious.

It will be interesting to follow Luczynski the rest of the season. I was impressed with him as a player when I went out so see him last month but I wasn’t so convinced by his team. They have clearly improved.

Friday’s top games

Sierra Canyon, CA 81, Young 49: According to Twitter this one was close for about a quarter. It will be interesting to see if Simeon is ready for this juggernaut in a few weeks. Amari Bailey led Sierra Canyon with 20 and Bronny James had six points. Dalen Davis had 14 for Young. Xavier Amos and AJ Casey each scored nine.

Thornton 60, Thornwood 59: Ty Rodgers puts the Wildcats on his back. The Illinois recruit had 24 points and 19 rebounds.

Oak Forest 60, Tinley Park 45: Robbie Avila became the school’s all-time leading scorer tonight. He had 22 points and seven rebounds. Fred Robinson add 12 points. Tony Webb led the Titans with 19. I was pretty high on Oak Forest after the Team Rose Classic. Probably time to give them a Super 25 look again.

Hillcrest 67, TF South 47: The Hawks cruise behind a balanced effort. Isaiah Green, Marcus Glover, Darrion Baker and Bryce Tillery all scored double figures. Hillcrest hasn’t been getting much attention lately. Everyone expected them to win the Big Dipper. That was definitely a disappointment, but don’t forget that Glenbard West game. The Hawks have massive upside. This isn’t a very experienced team and they could be a load by March.

Farragut 67, Schurz 47: A triple-double for Jonathan Calmese. The young guard had 25 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Justin Pickens scored 18.

Solorio 62, Kennedy 45: Highly-regarded guard Donovan Jones had 29 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Jeremy Hall added 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Glenbard West 64, Oak Park 40: There’s an old cliche that your conference opponents are the toughest games because they know you best. That is not the case with the Hilltoppers. Braden Huff scored 23 and Cade Pierce added 14.

Lane 65, Lincoln Park 51: Nice win for [insert new nickname we are waiting on here]. Sophomore Shaheed Solebo has flashed some nice potential this season when I’ve seen him. He had a career-high 20 points. Sean Molloy added 15 points, six rebounds and four assists. Lane is 3-1 in conference.

Austin 64, Collins 55: Check out Ty Freeman’s stat line: 37 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

North Lawndale 54, Westinghouse 51: The Phoenix are starting to string together some victories. Jemarje Windfield had another big game with 17 points and five assists. Vince Mayes added nine points, eight rebounds and seven blocks.

Bolingbrook 83, Homewood-Flossmoor 82: I read the Herald-News game story by Steve Soucie on this one. There were 60 fouls. Oh my. I’ve sat through a few of those. I’m permanently scarred from a Crane-Farragut game where I counted nearly 70. Donaven Younger had a big game with 21 points and 14 rebounds and Danny Walker had 15 points and nine boards. Mekhi Cooper added 18. The Raiders’ losing streak is over.

Leo 70, Marmion 54: The Lions were led by Cam Cleveland with 18 points. Keeland Jordan added 14 points and eight rebounds. Marmion has been feisty so far this season.

Huntley 68, Dundee-Crown 62 4 OT: Two teams that I’ve been keeping an eye on played a tremendous game tonight. Ben Ahmer had 20 points and six rebounds and Aiden Wieczorek added 18 points and four rebounds. Hopefully the schedule works out and I can catch the next game between Burlington Central and the Red Raiders.

Palatine 48, Hoffman Estates 43: Who can figure out the MSL West?

Momence 42, Beecher 38: Momence Watch takes down Beecher Watch. Haven Roberts scored 13 and James Stevenson added 12 points and nine rebounds. Momence is 15-1 and undefeated in the conference.

Lake Forest 39, Warren 38: This must have been a rough watch. The Scouts have been a bit up and down this season. But they escaped with a win.

Oswego East 59, Joliet West 57: I was following this on Twitter all night. Oswego East wins it on Patrick Robinson’s bucket with six seconds left. Sounds like it was a thriller. The Wolves are 20-1. The young Tigers are clearly improving quickly. They face Curie tomorrow.