Chicago Public League Sports Blog

Lane Wins Major Lincoln Wrestling Tournament

Max Schneider(sr) continued to show his dominance. He is undefeated and ranked #1 in the state at his weight class. (he's done 145 and 152). (MS photo).

Results

from a comment

"Today was the conclusion of the two-day Lincoln Invational Tournament that Lane Tech has made a regular part of their schedule every season. They had an overall successful trip, winning the tournament with 246 points over Thornton with 187 points. Max Schneider had an easy time taking the title at 152 while Lane had 2nd place finishes from Danny Carlson at 113, Johnny McCarthy at 120, Nick Jankowski at 126, Tom Angsten at 132, and Rezon Hall at 138. If Lane is able to continue to capitalize in the lower weight classes in the post-season, we'll see some greater accomplishments from them in the state series this February."

This is Lane's first major wrestling tournament win after finishing 2nd three times in a row. This win was a big one as the Lincoln Invite is a large invite with 24 mostly downstate teams.

Taft Wins Luther North Tournament

Taft 74 Gordon Tech 65

Sebastian Laszcz(6-1, G/F, jr) of Taft inbounds the ball as David Andrews of Gordon Tech defends.

Taft won I believe its 9th Luther North Tournament. Taft set the trend at the beginning of the game on a set play. Joshua Doss drove the lane then allyuped it to Kevin Siudut(6-7, C) who scored on a reverse slam. Taft was just too big for Gordon Tech. Later Siudut revved up the Taft crowd on another slam dunk after a steal.

The first quarter was close. Gordon Tech led early, then Taft got the lead which they never relinquished. The second quarter was mainly Taft as Siudut scored 6 points in a row to start the second quarter. Taft big man Tim Reamer(6-4, 190lbs, sr) helped contribute with a big three pointer in the second quarter.

At half, Taft led 39-28. Taft then extended their lead 55-39 by the end of the third quarter.

There were a couple keys to Taft's win. First of all, the team as a whole stepped up to fill the scoring void left by John Joyce(so, 6-5). Joyce, is normally one of Taft's leading scorers. Joyce started the game but was greatly limited since he is still recovering from an illness (the flu?). Joyce scored only two points in the game. Also, Tim Reamer had to sit out a big portion of the game due to foul trouble. So other players form Taft had tto step up. Siudut led the team in scoring with about 17 points, but Taft also got big contributions off the bench from players like Pierrenzo Pozzi(sr, G), and Isaih Love(6-0, 195, jr, F).

Taft's also held Gordon Tech sharp shooter David Andrews(sr, G) to 3 points. A big part of that was because Andrews was guarded most of the night by Siudut- a great defender and 6 inches taller than Andrews.

Gordon Tech and Taft to Face off at Luther North Finals

Tim Reamer(6-4, 190lbs, sr, F) and Taft have steamrolled all opponents heading into the finals of the Luther North Holiday Tournament. They face an equally hot Gordon Tech team.

December 30, 2011
7:30pm- Taft vs Gordon Tech

Taft is on a complete roll. They entered the tournament on a 4 game win streak and have dominated all opponents so far in this tournament. They enter the finals looking to extend their win streak to 8. But they face an imposing foe in Gordon Tech.

Gordon Tech beat Jones, Mather, and Chicago Academy. The Rams look to beat a a 4th straight CPS foe. Gordon Tech is a balanced team with a lot of weapons. It starts with the guard tandem of Mahlike Graham (6-0, sr) and Jerry Davis(6-0, sr). Both are agressive, active, and can score. Complementing them is 6-3 forward Scott Calderon(jr) and sharp shooter David Andrews(6-1, sr, G). Andrews has Steve Kerr like 3 point shooting ability. He hit 7 three pointers in their game 1 win over Jones. Gordon Tech starts Sam Rarick(6-6, jr) at the center position. He is not afraid to shoot it from the outside and also provides the rebounding and post play on the inside.

Taft has big guard Joshua Doss(6-2,jr) running the show at the guard position. But their main star is sophomore John Joyce who at 6-5 can both shoot outside and play big inside. I love the play of big man Kevin Siudut(6-6, 180lbs, sr, F/C). He is listed at 6-6 but he seems taller- maybe 6-7. Look for him to make a slam or two in this game. He is more mobile and active than Gordon center Rarick. Also look out for forward Tim Reamer(6-4,sr).

I like Taft in this game. I feel Taft has the best overall player in John Joyce and they have the best big man in Kevin Siudut. Also, I feel Doss will cause a couple of turnovers and convert to points on the other end. But do not count Gordon Tech out. They have the best pure shooter in David Andrews. At any time Andrews can light it up on the court. Also, Gordon Tech has a great shooting team overall. They have obviously put in their time during the summer with lot's of shooting drills. If Taft limits Andrews and the Gordon Tech outside, shooting, I feel they can wear them out from the inside and on the defensive end and pull out a close win.

This is going to be a really good game. Gordon will bring their fans and there will be a big crowd.

Neilski's pick Taft by 4.

Gordon Tech center Sam Rarick(6-6, jr)

Luther North Tournament Day 3 Schedule

Mather freshman guard Patrick Matthews handles the ball. Mather has had a rough tournament and a rough season. Mather graduated all of its starters from last year's CPS quarterfinailist team. They are rebuilding with players such as Matthews. The biggest question is do they enough this year to stay out of the cellar of the Red-North? Blue-North team Chicago Academy beat them in day 1 of the tournament. Today, they face Jones who is leading the Blue-Central.

Thu, Dec. 29, 2011

Blue Pool
3:00pm - Jones vs Mather

Neilski's pick- Jones by 10

4:30pm- Chicago Academy vs Gordon Tech

Neilski's pick- Gordon Tech by 8

Gold Pool

6:00pm - Maine East vs Taft

Neilski's pick- Taft by 10

7:30pm- Guerin Prep vs. Luther North

Neilski's pick- Guerin Prep by 9

The winner of the Blue Pool plays the winner of the Gold Pool this Friday night for the Championship.

Luther North Tournament Day 2 Schedule

 
Darrick Scott(6-4, sr, F) of Chicago Academy came up with the game winning shot vs. Mather. The Blue-North leaders will face a tougher task when they play Blue-Central leader Jones tonight in Day 2 of the Luther North Tournament. Jones is coming off a tough one point loss to Gordon Tech.

Wed, Dec. 28, 2011
Gold Pool
3:00pm - Taft vs Guerin Prep

Neilski's pick- Taft by 16

4:30pm- Maine East vs Luther North

Neilski's pick- Maine East by 17

Blue Pool

6:00pm - Chicago Academy vs Jones

Neilski's pick- Jones by 8

7:30pm- Gordon Tech vs Mather

Neilski's pick- Gordon Tech by 18

The winner of the Blue Pool plays the winner of the Gold Pool this Friday night for the Championship. After day 1 it looks like it is going to be a Gordon Tech vs Taft championship. But Day 2 games still have to be played.

Gordon Tech hits a buzzer beater to knock off Jones

 

Scott Calderon(jr, G) of Gordon Tech guards the inbound pass of Jaquis Buckman(6-0, 188lbs, sr) of Jones.

Gordon Tech 57 Jones 56
The crowd got bigger as the game wore on as people were getting into the Luther North gym. They watched a good one as the game increased in intensity as the time started winding down. Gordon Tech's Jerry Davis(6-0, G, sr) hit a game winning shot right before the buzzer to give Gordon Tech the stunning win over a very good Jones team. Jones had two defenders in Deandre Taylor(6-2, 185lbs, F) and Jaquis Buckman(6-0, 188lbs) surrounding Davis in the corner, yet Davis still managed to hit the game winner.

Gordon Tech was led by sharp shooter David Andrews(sr, G) with 23 points. Andrews scored 12 of Gordon's first 19 points on 4 three pointers.

Jones full court press in the 4th quarter led a furious Jones comeback and actually held a 1 point lead with a few minutes left. But Jones missed 4 of 5 free throw attempts in the 4th quarter to set up Davis's heroics.

 

 Courtney Copeland(5-10, 200lbs. G/F) of Jones attempts a free throw while Deandre Taylor (6-2, 185lbs) of Jones and Jerry Davis(6-0, G) watches. Davis was the hero of the game as he hit a jumper right on the 3 point line with 1 second left to give Gordon the stunning victory.

Scott Wins it for Chicago Academy over Mather

Ladarius Tunstall(left-6-1, sr, G, #23) and Mather's Byron Burt (#11, sr, F, 6-5, 180)

Chicago Academy 47 Mather 44

All Blue-North conference player Darrick Scott(sr, 6-4,F) of Chicago Academy hit a jumper with 40 seconds left in the game to break a 44-44 tie. Lance Bagett(sr, 6-1, F) chipped in with an insurance free throw with 9 seconds left to give Chicago Academy a 47-44 lead. Mather freshman guard Patrick Matthews(5-7, 145lbs) had a chance to tie the game but his wide open 3 pointer at the buzzer missed to give Chicago Academy the first round win at the 47th Annual Luther North Holiday Tournament.


Blake Wolf(sr-G) of Mather drives past Darius Wesley(so-G) of Chicago Academy.

Luther North Tournament Day 1 Schedule/Preview

John Chico(sr, G) and Jones are off to one of its best starts in school history. But they face a tough opening match versus Gordon Tech of the Catholic League.

Tue, Dec. 27, 2011
Blue Pool
3:00pm - Mather vs Chicago Academy
The defending Luther North Champions Mather face off versus Chicago Academy from the Blue-North. Just because Mather is in the Red and Chicago Academy is in the blue means that Mather will be the favorite. Actually, the opposite is true in this case. Mather graduated 4 of it's 5 starters from it's incredible city quarter finalist appearing team. Also, the frosh-soph team from last year did not look too talented. That is why Mather has struggled this year and is 1-3 in the Red-North including getting drubbed by Taft 76-46 last Thursday. Meanwhile, Chicago Academy is having one of its best seasons ever and is sitting atop the Blue North conference. Chicago Academy is not very tall with only two players on its roster 6-3 or over. But they are very active with players like Ladarius Tunstall(6-1, G, sr)  and football star Lance Baggett(6-0, sr G).
Neilski's pick- Chicago Academy by 6

4:30pm- Jones vs Gordon Tech
Jones is having one its best seasons ever. It is in first place in the Blue-Central conference. They are led by point guard John Chico. Do not be deceived by Gordon Tech's record of something like 3-6. It plays in the rough Catholic League North with the likes of St. Rita, St. Joseph, and DeLaSalle. If Jones is not careful, they could lose this game.
Neilski's pick- Jones by 3

Gold Pool

6:00pm - Guerin Prep vs Maine East
This is a battle between last place conference teams. I'm giving Maine East a slight edge.
Neilski's pick- Maine East by 7

7:30pm- Taft vs Luther North
The host school scheduled a rough first game. Taft will clobber much smaller Luther North. Taft is the hottest team going into the tournament with a 4 game winning streak including wins against Marist and three Red-North foes (Mather, Linclon Park, and Steinmentz). I expect Taft to breeze through to the finals.
Neilski's pick- Taft by 25

Lane Tech Boys Indoor Track Schedule 2012

Lane Tech and Jose Villalobos(jr) will not be competing at the Proviso West small quad meets on the weekdays. Lane will have a revamped indoor schedule including an appearance at the high profile Evanston Dan Phillips Invitational.

Lane Tech opens with a tough indoor meet at Thornwood. Expected to be there is host Thornwood- who always has sprinters, Waubonsee Valley, and Fenwick. On February 17, they run a Tri meet with Oak Park and St. Patrick. All state distance runner University of Wisconsin bound Malachy Schrobilgen(sr) of Oak Park usually runs at this race.The following Tuesday they go to Fenton for a Quad meet with 2011 frosh-soph CPS champions Brooks, Fenton, and Nazareth Academy. Lane's first March meet will be at the inaugural Champaign Central Invite, where they will see several downstate schools including class 2A power Springfield Lanphier. The rest of March features all high profile meets at North Central (IPTT), the Evanston Dan Phillips Invite, the Gene Armer Invite, and for those who qualify the IPPT meet.

Sat, Feb 4	Info	Thornwood Quad
Fri, Feb 17	Info	Oak Park Tri w/Lane & St. Pats
Tue, Feb 21	Info	Fenton Quad
Sat, Mar 3	Info	Champaign Cent. Charger Indoor Invite
Mon, Mar 5	Info	Downers South / IPTT
Fri, Mar 9	Info	Evanston Dan Phillips Invitational
Sat, Mar 17	Info	34th Annual Gene Armer U-High Invite
Sat, Mar 24	Info	Prep Top Times

Merry Christmas to all!