Any hyped, all-eyes-on event with media attention and a packed gym is going to raise both the stakes and quality of play. When Sides Collide, the five-game showcase this past Saturday at Benet, provided that opportunity.
A double-overtime game was followed by a last-second win. There were eight state-ranked teams, a legit player of the year performance and a one-game individual performance that was about as high level as we’ve seen this season.
Here is a When Sides Collide rewind.
Senior experience matters
We all love young talent. For many reasons, the excitement surrounding up-and-coming stars is intoxicating. But the lesson learned from a couple of games that pitted veteran teams against youthful ones was that seniors do matter.
The impact of seniors was punctuated Saturday in wins by Thornton and Yorkville.
The marquee game of the day showed just that as Thornton outmuscled a young Benet team throughout its 63-54 win. The experience, the physical nature it played with and the defensive intensity set the tone early.
Sure, Morez Johnson is a matchup nightmare and instantly changes the complexion of any game he plays in at the high school level. But coach Tai Streets’ senior-dominated team played with poise and did so in a hostile road environment. They knew and understood how to instill their strengths and use them in a battle of ranked teams.
Benet, meanwhile, could only walk away with a lesson learned for its core group of underclassmen.
While Benet does have important, contributing seniors, the Redwings do play with three sophomores and two juniors who are all getting their first taste of varsity basketball. Thornton’s Johnson and Isaiah Green are four-year varsity starters. Meyoh Swansey and Chase Abraham are two other seniors with multiple years of starting experience.
That sizable experience difference mattered.
Whitney Young had four sophomores and a freshman on the floor together for large chunks of its game with Yorkville. With injured junior star Antonio Munoz and junior starter Sean Brown out of the lineup, the Dolphins were forced to go even younger.
That youth showed as a veteran Yorkville team with five senior starters overcame a late deficit to steal a down-to-the-wire 67-65 win, highlighted by Dayvion Johnson’s go-ahead basket in the closing seconds, 17 points from Bryce Salek and Jason Jakstys’ all-around performance.
Riddle me this
For those who were discounting preseason No. 1 Kenwood as a city and state title contender based on two months of play, then what are they saying now?
Out of nowhere, Kenwood appeared to have been shot out of a cannon, dazzling fans in its When Sides Collide dominating win over Mount Carmel. This is a Broncos team that stuck in neutral, just 4-4 in its last eight games.
Will coach Mike Irvin be able to bottle it all up and use this moment as a springboard for the rest of the season?
Freshman Devin Cleveland shined. Aleks Alston, the highly-regarded 6-9 junior, put up 20 points but more importantly, was active and engaged. But it was senior Chris Riddle who put on a show.
Riddle, who is headed to DePaul, provided one of the best individual performances of the season. But it’s how Riddle did it that was so impressive. The 6-5 wing played with a combination of physicality and finesse while dunking and shooting his way to 31 points. It was a loud but pretty 31 points.
Homewood-Flossmoor is on a run
Homewood-Flossmoor’s When Sides Collide debut resulted in another win over a ranked team. The Vikings withstood a sweet-shooting performance from Downers Grove North’s star Jack Stanton — the Princeton recruit buried seven triples — and left with a 59-51 win.
In the last four weeks, coach Jamere Dismukes’ team has beaten Rich, Thornton, DePaul Prep and Downers Grove North, teams all currently ranked among the top 15 teams in this week’s Super 25.
A win over Romeoville in that period makes it five wins over teams that were ranked at some point this season.
The scary part is you don’t get the feeling the Vikings have peaked. Remember, the only loss of the season came to Gonzaga (Washington, DC) back in early December, and Gonzaga is currently 15-2 and nationally ranked.
While senior guard Gianni Cobb did pop for 22 points in the win over DGN, the Vikings have shown extreme balance. While doing so they’ve built quite a résumé and have a conference showdown with No. 12 Bolingbrook next week.
Big performances from Illini recruits
- When Sides Collide brought two Illinois recruits to Benet on Saturday: Thornton’s Morez Johnson and Yorkville’s Jason Jakstys. They both came out with big wins for their respective teams –– Thornton beat Benet and Yorkville knocked off Young –– while putting up significant numbers. Johnson, who exudes toughness whether he’s playing through pain or not, dominated around the basket and scored 21 points while playing with a dislocated finger. “He’s the best player I’ve seen in a long time,” Benet coach Gene Heidkamp told Michael O’Brien following the game, a coach who has faced both Jahlil Okafor and Cliff Alexander in the past decade. “He’s right up there at the top. You can’t guard him with one person.” Jakstys shows his potential and upside with how many different ways he’s capable of impacting a game. The 6-10 Jakstys did a little of everything Saturday, scoring 13 points, pulling down a whopping 22 rebounds, dishing out six assists and blocking two shots.
- Johnson is a dominating force for Thornton. The 6-9 Illinois-bound big man makes others around him better by the sheer attention thrown his way by opposing teams. The defense shows flashes of being difference-making. But if Isaiah Green and the Wildcats shoot the ball the way they did against Benet, it’s going to be a very difficult team to beat in March. You can’t help but think ahead to a potential Thornton-Metamora super-sectional game in Ottawa in early March. Last year DePaul Prep persevered and managed to navigate a wave of injuries during the regular season. The season ultimately led to a Class 2A state championship. This year it’s happened again. Coach Tom Kleinschmidt is currently down two key players, Rob Walls and Jonas Johnson, who are out with injuries. Then during the double overtime loss to Normal, DePaul lost another one, senior PJ Chambers. Chambers, who scored 25 points the night before in a huge win over Brother Rice, went down early in the third quarter having already scored 11 points. The Rams were up 14 points when Chambers was lost.
- Speaking of injuries, Mount Carmel is hobbled. Angelo Ciaravino and Lee Marks both played through pain in the Caravan’s loss to Kenwood. Ciaravino, Mount Carmel’s leading scorer and Northwestern recruit, has been battling a lower-body injury. Ciaravino and Marks will require rest and some downtime over the next week or two. But both are expected back at 100 percent.
- Normal made its second straight weekend trip to the area and came away with a win over DePaul Prep. The Ironmen return next weekend to play Benet at Glenbrook South. As the season plays out it becomes more and more clear how talented 6-8 Noah Cleveland is and how unknown and overlooked he remains. He was the best player on the floor in the win over DePaul Prep, scoring 28 points and looking the part with his size, athleticism and versatility in scoring the basketball.
- Yorkville’s slow start to the season will ultimately prevent the Foxes from a top six or so seed in the deep East Aurora Sectional. But this is not the team a high seed will want to face in the regional championship in this loaded sectional.
- Young showed its youth against Yorkville. But the Dolphins continue to show considerable upside as it moves forward this season and potential to be an elite team in seasons to come. Freshman Howard Williams hasn’t received quite the attention others have in the class, but he’s coming. The 6-6 forward scored 14 points with finishes around the rim and face-up jumpers.
