We are finally here!!!!!!! Championship Saturday. Title games today and the most watched will be Class 4A.
I was sitting in Ridgewood High School gym in Norridge, IL on a Sunday last June. Teams were playing in the annual summer shootout that Ridgewood puts on. When the dust cleared Glenbard West(Glen Ellyn) and Whitney Young(Chicago) made the title game. I like others were waiting for that game in anticipation of a great battle. Alas we were told the title game would not happen, that both would be named co-champions. Basketball junkies like me would have to wait till maybe the State Tournament or a big time regular season matchup. They started out preseason #1 and #2 in Big Tim’s poll. Well, the regular season matchup came about at the annual When Sides Collide, which happened at Benet Academy in Lisle. It was the most anticipated game of the regular season, but some thought it was anticlimactic because Young had lost a bunch of national games. I still thought they were legit and had a shot to beat Glenbard West. It did not come about as Glenbard West dominated the game and won by 15, which was not indicative of their domination at the time. Young was missing a big piece though, junior Daniel Johnson who to me is their best prospect. He’s healthy now and ready to go in this title game. Glenbard West has dominated this season only having three single digit games, one a 3 point loss at the buzzer against nationally ranked Sierra Canyon(CA). The game was at Wintrust Arena and a sellout crowd. They are 36-1 and all five starters are headed for division one basketball. Whitney Young’s national schedule has paid off up to this point. They won the City Championship aka Chicago Public League title and are trying to pull off an unprecedented double of city/state titles. Glenbard West has the player I feel is the best in the state in Gonzaga commit Braden Huff(6’11”) along with 4 other seniors in their starting lineup. Whitney Young has Northern Illinois commit Xavier Amos(6’8”) who I feel is vastly underrated, along with Miami Florida commit AJ Casey(6’8”). How well will their guards play and will they be able to use their wing athletes to rule both backboards? Junior guards Dalen Davis(6’0”) and Marcus Pigrim(6’3”) will have to play huge today and hit some outside shots. Glenbard West will have to play team basketball, take care of the ball, and rebound well out of the 1-3-1 zone defense. In other words be as efficient as they’ve been all year. I’ll say for a prediction look at my rankings, but I’ll sit back like everyone else, and watch a big time heavyweight fight on the basketball court.
Starters and key reserves:
Glenbard West
Caden Pierce 6’6” senior guard committed to Princeton
Paxton Warden 6”4” senior guard committed to Illinois(walk-on)
Bobby Durkin 6’7” senior wing
Ryan Renfro 6’9” senior forward committed to Army
Braden Huff 6’11” senior forward committed to Gonzaga
Jack Cardwell 6’0” senior guard
Andrew Dauksas 5’8” senior guard
Jack Oberhofer 6’0” junior forward
Whitney Young
Dalen Davis 6’0” junior point guard
Daniel Jonson 6’6” junior wing
Marcus Sommerville 6’6” senior wing
Andre Casey Jr 6’8 senior forward committed to Miami(FL)
Xavier Amos 6’8” senior forward committed to Northern Illinois
Marcus Pigrim 6’3” junior guard
Marcus Overstreet 6’9” senior forward
Jordan Streeter 6’6” senior wing
Note: Pigrim has been starting most of the year but had ankle injury that put him as a reserve. He could start in exchange for Johnson.
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