Tyrone Sherman of Homewood-Flossmoor saw the opening. He turned up his speed and dribbled toward the basket for what appeared to be a layup and a tie score at championship time.
Suddenly, a huge arm came up from Sherman‘s right side. The shot was blocked. Rejection. Game over.
If you‘re looking for the big-play potential of University of Wisconsin recruit
Frank Kaminsky of Benet Academy, then look no further than this play. Kaminsky‘s block, with 11 seconds left in overtime in the championship game of the Proviso West Tournament, led the way to Benet‘s 54-50 win over Homewood-Flossmoor. After Kaminsky‘s block and a foul, Benet turned a two-point margin into four with two free throws by
Matt Parisi.
Kaminsky, who stands nearly 7 feet tall, combined with Northwestern recruit and Proviso West Tournament MVP
David Sobolewski to give Benet a coveted Proviso West title in the school‘s first appearance in the tournament. Sobolewski, a senior guard, scored the only basket in overtime and wound up with 19 points. Kaminsky played in the title game despite battling an ankle injury. He scored 12 points, and had nine rebounds and a pair of blocked shots.
"His presence for us down there, whether he's altering shots or blocking them, is huge," Parisi told the Chicago Tribune.
Benet, a private Catholic school, has won its first 14 games and has emerged as one of the best teams in basketball-rich Chicagoland. The Redwings bounce back into East Suburban Catholic Conference play Friday, when they play host to Joliet Catholic Academy.
5 BIG PERFORMANCES* Tournament MVP
Brian Greene Jr. of Thornton scored 22 points, helping the Wildcats to a 57-55 title-game win over Crete-Monee in the McDipper Tournament played in Richton Park, south of Chicago. "(Brian) played out of his mind. He grew up and matured, and is definitely a Division I prospect," Thornton coach Troy Jackson told Sun-Times Media. Greene is receiving recruiting interest from Wright State, the University of Illinois-Chicago, Chicago State and Valparaiso, among others.
* Louisville recruit
Wayne Blackshear scored a double-double in Chicago Morgan Park's 73-51 Chicago Public League win over Gage Park. He scored 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Mustangs (8-1).
* Kyra Navarette scored a game-high 23 points, leading
Fenwick (Oak Park) to a 65-47 win over previously unbeaten Bartlett in the championship game of the Charger Classic played at Dundee-Crown High School. Both teams are 15-1.
*
Highland Park's Briana Collier scored 17 points and had 12 rebounds in the Giants' 46-43 win over Farragut (Tenn.) in the championship game of the Windermere Prep Holiday Tournament held in Orlando, Fla.
*
Hinsdale Central (Hinsdale) senior wrestler Jack Allen, who has finished as the runner-up at 285 pounds the last two years at the state championships, defeated Josh Dust of Warren in the title match of the 56th annual Berman Holiday Classic in Palatine. Allen has won four tournament titles this season and is 22-0.
