Boys Basketball notes: Braden Huff, Glenbard West savor huge win, look ahead to national showcase

Glenbard West senior center Braden Huff stared down his present and future Saturday night.

After scoring 31 points on 13-of-18 shooting, including 2-for-3 on 3-pointers, to go with seven rebounds and two assists to help lead the Hilltoppers to a monumental 74-59 triumph over city powerhouse Young in the feature game of the “When Sides Collide” shootout at Benet, Huff stood among a small group of reporters talking about many subjects.

Standing just a few feet away, behind the three reporters, Gonzaga assistant coach Roger Powell Jr., a former Illinois star forward who helped guide the Illini to the 2005 national championship game, casually watched the future Zags’ player handle the small media crush.

“It was a great win, especially with last year COVID not being able to play outside the conference,” Huff said. “We were really excited for this game. Whitney Young is a great team. We felt we were really prepared and the whole team played really well. Young is an awesome program. I came out really excited, but it’s about that balance finding my teammates.

“We knew what we were up against, all excited for this matchup. Last year we didn’t get to test how good we really were, so this year we’re not taking anything for granted and opportunities like this are awesome…We showed we can compete with the top teams in the state and city. Before this, we’ve been tested, but people questioned if we could compete with the city teams. This is a big win for us.”

Like Huff, the Hilltoppers (22-0) are navigating unknown terrain as one of the best basketball teams in the country. The football program, led by coach Chad Hetlet, is nationally known for churning out Division I players on an annual basis. The Hilltoppers, the No. 14 team in the MaxPreps Top 25 high school basketball rankings this week, get a rare level of national exposure when it was announced they will play No. 10 Sierra Canyon (Calif.) at 8 p.m. on Feb. 5 at Wintrust Arena.

The Hilltoppers, the top-ranked team in Class 4A, are attempting to win a state championship, while handling the onslaught of attention.

Glenbard West senior guard Caden Pierce, who scored 25 points against Young, said the Hilltoppers gained a measure of confidence and respect beating Young.

“Beating a team of this caliber showed we can play with anybody,” Pierce said. “Whitney Young is a super athletic team, but everyone has worked super hard, not only on their skills on the basketball court, but their bodies also. It shows. It seems we’re getting more athletic than in years past, and it has helped our games.”

Glenbard West coach Jason Opoka said his team welcomes a difficult schedule. That now includes a matchup against Sierra Canyon, led by UCLA recruit and top-three national player Amari Bailey, a 2022 McDonald’s All-American selection, and junior guard Bronny James, the son of NBA superstar LeBron James.

“In the beginning of the season, we wanted to challenge ourselves with our schedule,” he said. “I think we did a nice job doing that…We’re all along for a special journey. We can build a basketball town, and this is the foundation. The culture of Glenbard West basketball is changing through time. We’re doing something special, and we’re not done. Hopefully, we will continue to build off this from year to year to year.”

Ben VanderWal powering Timothy Christian

Two years ago, Timothy Christian was in the midst of a memorable run to the Class 2A state tournament in Peoria. The Trojans (11-14, 7-2 Metro Suburban Blue) take aim at a repeat trip after not getting a chance to compete in the state tourney due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Trojans endured a rocky spell in late December, when star guard Ben VanderWal, a Furman recruit, sat out three games.

Timothy Christian coach Scott Plaisier noted the play of point guard Kyle Steiner and Trey Keizer during the first two-plus months. Steiner, a junior, is averaging 5.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Keizer, a senior, is averaging 9.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists.

“Kyle has been steadily improving his overall play,” Plaisier said. “He’s learning how to run the team from the point guard position, and he’s finding opportunities to give us the necessary scoring we need.

“Trey has been a strong second scorer for us this season. He’s started establishing himself as a scorer instead of a shooter. He’s doing a great job attacking the basket and creating for his teammates.”

But Plaisier said VanderWal, not surprisingly, has been the glue holding the team together, averaging 25.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 2.3 blocks per game.

“Ben’s been a monster for us in all aspects of the game,” Plaisier said. “He gets us 25 to 30 points a game and 10 to 15 rebounds. He’s probably worth close to 40 points when you consider the number of baskets we score when teams surround him as well as the number of baskets he takes away with block shots or charges.”

Lemont’s Gavin Kelby shines in key moment

Lemont junior guard Gavin Kelby made the most of his limited playing time — and shots — in Tuesday’s road loss to Oak Forest.

With Lemont’s eight-game winning streak in jeopardy, Kelby hit a pair of timely shots to nearly lift to a memorable comeback win. The Bengals managed to hold on for a 65-50 win, but Kelby made a big impression with his solid play.

The 6-foot Kelby scored all five of his points in the final quarter, canning a 3-pointer to the shock of the Bengals, on Lemont’s opening fourth-quarter possession, to lower a once 16-point deficit to 42-41. Three possessions later, Kelby scored on a hard drive to the basket at the 5:42 mark.

On a team with an abundance of stellar guards, most notably sophomore sensation Nojus Indrusaitis, Kelby is carving out his own role, Lemont coach Rick Runaas said.

“He’s been like a seventh-guy most of the year, one of our first guards off the bench,” Runaas said. “But when you are playing behind Nojus Indrusaitis, it’s tough giving you a lot of minutes. I kind of gave him a heads-up because he can make shots. We felt like they had some holes in their box-and-one (defense), and we could maybe get him in some open spots. We told him to get mentally ready. When he went in, he was ready, so that’s a credit to him.”