By Bobby Narang
Benet Academy Saturday, Jan. 20 featured some of the best boys basketball teams and players from Chicagoland.
The event, “When Sides Collide,” showcased five marquee games, with numerous elite recruits and teams capable of winning a state championship.
The second game pitted Downers Grove North, which finished in fourth place in Class 4A last season, battling No. 1 Homewood-Flossmoor. Downers Grove North senior guard Jack Stanton, a Princeton University recruit, put on a shooting clinic, to thrill the capacity crowd.
He nailed seven three-pointers, including five in the second half, but the Vikings had too much firepower and pulled out a 59-51 victory. Stanton shot a sizzling seven-for-13 from beyond the arc and added six rebounds.
“They got me the ball, and the rest is history,” Stanton said.
Downers Grove North (17-4) led 34-33 late in the third quarter, but the Vikings answered with a game-turning run to pull away.
“It’s a good learning moment for us,” Stanton said. “It’s not a playoff or a conference game. It’s just another step for us up the mountain. We will learn and bounce back.”
•In the third game, Yorkville gained a signature win over a depleted Young. Senior guard Dayvion Johnson attacked the basket, scoring on a lay-in with just under four seconds left to propel the Foxes to a 67-65 victory over the Young. The Foxes (11-8) defeated Romeoville Friday night to win two key games on back-to-back days.
“This was a huge weekend for us,” Yorkville coach John Holakovsky said. “We played two quality teams and showed a lot of character. We are finally at pretty much full strength.”
Senior center Jason Jakstys, a University of Illinois recruit, stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, 22 rebounds, three assists, four blocks, three steals, three dunks and a charge. He did it all, in fact.
“We’re playing in some big games and our record does not show how good we are,” Jakstys said. “This was a big game, and just tried to put it all on the floor. It’s fun to win.”
•In the final game, Benet Academy battled Thornton for two-plus quarters before turnovers and missed shots derailed a possible upset. The Thornton Wildcats, led by Illinois recruit Morez Johnson and Isaiah Green, recorded a 63-54 victory to hand Benet its first home defeat in four years.
Johnson, the top senior in the State, finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Green added a game-high 26 points, while Blake Fagbemi led the Redwings (16-3) with 19 points.
“Morez Johnson is an elite player,” Benet coach Gene Heidkamp said. “You can’t guard him one-on-one…To beat a team like that, you have to play better than we played. You have to compete harder. We let it get away from us when they had that run and the lead got to 10 points.”