By Bobby Narang
It was a night to remember in Yorkville.
Class 1A Yorkville Christian, a relatively new high school, was on the center stage in the Illinois boys basketball scene and was host to undefeated and highly-ranked Glenbard West.
The host Mustangs have enjoyed playing several high-profile games and numerous tournaments in the first month of the season. Led by 6-4 senior guard Jaden Schutt, the Mustangs are must-see basketball in the Midwest.
The Duke University recruit is a prolific shooter and can score points in bunches, so the opportunity to be host to the No. 1 ranked team in largest-school Class 4A, led to a sell-out crowd of more than 1,000 in the “The Canyon” on Whitekirk Lane in Yorkville.
It was a battle of two teams ranked No. 1 in their respective classes.
Not only did Glenbard West enter the loud and capacity gym with the big-name reputation, but featured four Division I recruits. Six-foot-11 senior center Braden Huff, a high-profile Gonzaga University signee, was the biggest name, set to do battle with Schutt for possible State high school player-of-the-year awards.
In the end, the Hilltoppers had too much size, depth, and talent, for the Mustangs and cruised to a 93-68 rout in the non-conference game. Huff had a dominating performance with 22 points and 16 rebounds to offset a 21-point showing by Schutt. Glenbard West senior guard, Bobby Durkin, pumped in 23 points, and senior guard, Paxton Warden, the lone college uncommitted starter on his team, scored 18 points in the victory.
“It was a lot of fun, obviously a lot the Yorkville crowd came out tonight,” Huff said. “The energy was high for sure, but our group is so tight-knit and I think we handled ourselves well. I always try and affect the game in multiple ways. That’s a big thing for my games. Just being able to pass the ball, score the ball, rebound the ball and tonight I think with my size, I was able to do that.”
Five days after handing Glenbrook South its first defeat of the season in a packed gym at Ridgewood High’s shootout in the west suburbs, the Hilltoppers scored the first nine points of the game against the Mustangs.
The Hilltoppers relied on their size to pull out the lopsided victory.
“One of our goals for today was to out-rebound them by double digits,” Glenbard West head coach Jason Opoka said. “We knew we had a big advantage because of our height and our length. We prioritize hitting the offensive glass and defensive glass.
“Braden is a special player and we utilize him in many different roles. Today we felt that his height and length was good against their run and jump. If he can see over their run and jump we had opportunities at the other end. He is the spearhead of what we’re trying to accomplish offensively.”
Schutt admitted Glenbard West’s size, especially in its 1-3-1 zone, caused fits for the Mustangs. Schutt shot an icy three-for-14 on three-pointers.
“It was a great test for us,” said Schutt. “They’re a really good team. To be able to work against that, and play a team of that length, it definitely prepares us for the rest of the season.”