LANSING, Ill. (November 25, 2023) – The first week of the boys basketball season was a mixed bag for TF South.
The Red Wolves wound up seventh among eight teams in the Chicago Heights Classic after beating Chicago Military 64-28 on Friday behind 14 points from all-tourney pick Alex Lesure and 10 from freshman Amari Dukes.
In pool play, South lost 62-53 to Hammond Central on Wednesday, 66-49 to Bloom on November 21 and 68-59 to Hillcrest on November 20.
“We had some promising moments against Bloom, played them tough for three quarters,” Red Wolves coach Todd Gillespie said. “Played Hillcrest tough the whole game. Then (against Hammond Central) we got a good lead and didn’t hold it. I think they got complacent, thinking it’s gonna be easy.
“We knew (Marcus Browder, who scored a game-high 25 points) was really good. But the rest of those guys are good too.”
Rashad Peeples and Eion Ikner each scored 10 for the Red Wolves against Hammond Central, while Lesure and Sam Townsend both had nine points.
Lesure, who hit 3-for-5 from 3-point range, and Peeples both scored 13 against Bloom. Dukes added eight points.
Lesure also led the way against Hillcrest with 20 points on 7-for-9 shooting, including 5-for-7 from beyond the arc. He also grabbed four rebounds and had three assists. Peeples scored 11 and Townsend added eight.
“We’re young, we’re junior heavy,” Gillespie said, noting that a sophomore (Ross Whitt) and freshman (Dukes) also are in the rotation.
“It’s a new group on varsity,” Gillespie added. “Scoring is not our problem. It’s our defensive rebounding, letting the other team get second and third shots. And when we do get the rebound, sometimes we don’t secure it all the way down. … We have some work to do. Got to turn this around.”
The Red Wolves return to action next Friday when they host Shepard in their home opener. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Girls basketball
The Red Wolves went 3-0 to win the Perspectives-Leadership Turkey Tipoff title and improve to 3-1 overall.
Tourney MVP Gigi Dillon had 12 points, six rebounds, and two steals as South defeated the hosts 52-47 on Wednesday. All-tourney selection Jaiden Thompson added 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and four steals, while Brie Hawthorne added 11 points, three rebounds, and four steals.
Dillon also led the way in a 57-32 win against Bremen November 20 with 17 points, 13 rebounds, six steals, and three blocks.
The Red Wolves opened the tournament with a 72-37 victory over Westinghouse on November 18. Thompson had 17 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals, while Rayvan Rush contributed 13 points, five rebounds, and two steals. Dillon finished with seven points, five rebounds, three assists, and eight steals.
Boys bowling
The Red Wolves defeated Eisenhower 1,747-1,663 on November 21 behind Christian Headen’s high game of 187.
South defeated Marian Catholic 1,858-767 on November 20 as Karter Thomas rolled a 237 high game.
Tristan Headen had a 290 high game in the Red Wolves’ 1,983-1,765 victory against Shepard on November 16.
TF North
Boys basketball
The Meteors opened their season with a 57-26 loss to Hyde Park on November 21 in the Crosstown Classic Holiday Shootout at Rich Township.
Boys bowling
North fell 1,700-1,604 to Shepard on November 14. Fernando Rios (207-182) and Aiden Jordan (140-200) led the Meteors.
Marian Catholic
Boys basketball
The Spartans finished third in the Chicago Heights Classic, beating Hillcrest 81-65 on Friday behind big games from Zack Sharkey (27 points), James Bullock (26) and Jonah Weathers (22). Sharkey and Weathers were named to the all-tourney team.
In pool play, Marian fell 55-41 to eventual champ Homewood-Flossmoor on Wednesday, defeated St. Francis deSales 69-44 on November 21 and rolled past Chicago Military 72-17 on November 20.
Weathers scored 18 and Sharkey added 13 against H-F. Weathers paced the Spartans against deSales with 22 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Sharkey had 19 points and five rebounds. Weathers had 11 points and was one of 17 Spartans to score vs. Chicago Military.
Illiana Christian
Girls wrestling
The Vikings finished fourth among 28 teams at the Rochester Invitational on November 17 with 126 points.
Amy Bosman and Kaleigh Bennet both finished runner-up for Illiana. Hannah Hammer took third, while Sam Banks, Gabriella Costello, and Ella Hammer all placed fourth.
South Suburban College
Men’s basketball
The Bulldogs had plenty to celebrate over Thanksgiving, including moving up to No. 1 nationally in NJCAA Division II and sophomore guard Jemel Jones earning NJCAA Division II national player of the week honors.
Jones averaged 34 points and 12 rebounds in two games. He leads NJCAA Division II in scoring with 31.5 points a game.
SSC (5-0) rolled by Oakton 103-48 on November 21 as Jones led the way with 28 points, nine rebounds, and four steals. Freshman Quentin Heady had a career-high 22 points and eight rebounds, while Tremear Fraley scored 14 and LaQuan Washington added 10 points.
The Bulldogs won their road opener 72-55 at Lake County on November 17. Jones had a double-double of 27 points and 14 rebounds, while Heady scored 20.
Related
- Athlete spotlights of the week: TF South’s Andrew Danehl and Rayvan Rush (November 20, 2023)
- TFS girls basketball recognizes program record-holders, looks to repeat successful season – other local scores (November 15, 2023)
