Crystal Lake Central’s slammin’ JJ Parrish breaks out: Northwest Herald boys basketball notes

Anyone can dunk a doughnut. Not everyone can dunk a basketball so students can get a doughnut.

Crystal Lake Central students sitting in the mobile bleachers behind the east basket Friday night can thank senior center JJ Parrish for a free sweet treat.

“What a way to start your Saturday,” Central coach Dan Oziminski said. “Unfortunately, the Tigers lost, but you get a free donut.”

Thanks to a sponsorship this season, Central students get a free doughnut every time their team gets two dunks during a home game. The 6-foot-9 Parrish delivered three rim-rattling dunks Friday night in the Tigers' 63-45 loss to Hampshire.

What tasted sweeter for the Tigers was Parrish’s performance. His 18 points and three slams represented season bests. Oziminski called it a “coming out party” for the first-year full-time starter, who also had six rebounds, two steals, a 3-pointer and a blocked shot.

“That was outstanding,” Oziminski said. “My favorite thing about him is that he knows he has it in there. He’s got to have that confidence in himself, and I think you saw it on display tonight.”

Parrish drained a left-wing 3 to open Central’s scoring. His first dunk came midway through the second quarter when he drove the lane and threw down a two-hander. Later in the quarter, he made a move on the baseline and dunked with his left hand.

Parrish’s final dunk was a reverse late in the third quarter. He also converted a three-point play after scoring on a reverse layup in the second quarter.

“It felt awesome being able to dunk three times,” said Parrish, who’s the son of Tigers assistant coach Tim Parrish. “And to have a 3 and an and-1, yeah, it felt great.”

Oziminski appreciated Parrish’s assertiveness on his dunks.

“He was like, ‘I want to throw it down. I want to rattle the rim,’ ” Oziminski said. “He also possesses a touch from the outside. When he has his base under him, he’s trouble. I don’t care if you’re 5-6 (or) 7 foot, you got to have a base under you to be quality.”

Parrish credited his teammates for his performance.

“I couldn’t have done it without my team,” Parrish said. “Carter Kelley with the assists, Johnny Geisser. I can’t do it without my guards. They’re a big help in getting me points.”

Central (6-22), which lost to Cary-Grove 64-39 on Tuesday, has one home game left in the regular season. The Tigers visit Crystal Lake South on Friday, before hosting Dundee-Crown next Tuesday.

Prairie Ridge putting it together: Prairie Ridge stunned FVC leader McHenry 61-48 on Friday night, handing the Warriors their first conference loss, but the Wolves had been playing their best basketball leading up to the game.

The win gave Prairie Ridge four wins in its past five. The Wolves followed up by losing to Burlington Central 54-43 on Tuesday but are still 6-4 in their past 10 games.

“We have definitely been playing much better basketball as of late,” first-year coach Brian Frericks said. “We talk about the importance of getting off to a good start in our games, especially when we play high level teams like McHenry. And that is what we were able to do Friday night.”

Prairie Ridge jumped out to a 13-2 lead and carried that momentum to a 38-18 advantage at halftime. Eli Loeding scored 18 of his game-high 27 points in the first half. Ben Gablenz added 14 points.

“We knew it would take a full-team effort to beat McHenry, and that is what we did, both offensively and defensively,” Frericks said. “Sam Kirk and Luke Vanderwiel have really stepped up as our leaders on the defensive side of the ball, while Ben Gablenz and Eli Loeding have stepped up offensively.”

Frericks also credited a “mindset shift” for his team’s recent success. The Wolves lost their first four games this season. A buzzer-beating, 50-49 loss to host Dundee-Crown on Jan. 15 extended their losing streak to seven games and left them with a 4-14 record.

“As a team, we have embraced only focusing on our ‘controllables’ and being there for our teammates, which has gone a long way for us,” Frericks said. “Every player is accepting their role and doing whatever they can to help the team win. Our staff has been telling our team all year that we have all of the pieces necessary to be a great team, and everyone is starting to buy into that mindset and play with more and more confidence each game.”

Loeding’s play also is noteworthy. The 6-3 junior averaged 25 points and six rebounds during the Wolves’ 4-1 stretch that was capped by the McHenry win. He shot 67% from two-point range and 57% from beyond the arc.

“He is being patient and letting the game come to him,” Frericks said, “which is really starting to pay off.”