That time of year again...

While a few Christmas tournaments started Saturday - things really get rolling Monday and include starts at Elgin and Wheeling for the boys. Looking forward to hitting Wheeling on Monday and Tuesday (not just for the hospitality room, either). Will be interesting to see how St. Viator rebounds from a tough loss to cross-town rival Hersey on Saturday night against the host Wildcats on Monday afternoon. If the Lions win it sets up a really intriguing matchup against ESCC rival Notre Dame, which won both meetings last year handily. Another one that could be very interesting in the second round would be Stevenson trying to slow down North Chicago.

Had a heck of a tuneup Saturday night at Hoffman Estates with visiting South Elgin. Two teams 7-0 but still a bit in the unknown category. South Elgin had beaten Naperville Central to win the Fenton tourney but is only in its third year as a program and Hoffman had only played one team with a winning record.
Both showed they're on their way to impressive seasons as Hoffman rallied late for a 54-53 win. Luke Mead had been deferring to his teammates a lot so far this season but took the initiative Saturday with a career-high 30 points. Hoffman stat guru Brian Staunton said Mead joined his brother Bryan and Jonny Reibel as the only players in school history with 30-point games. Senior Chris Hall also came through with a pair of free throws and Tom Dombrowski showed his football toughness as he was giving up 7 inches and 85 pounds inside to South Elgin's 6-9, 270-pound Dani Lopez.
Also came away very impressed with South Elgin and third-year coach Chaz Taft. They could have easily crumbled on the road down 9 going into the fourth quarter, but they came out in a scrambling, trapping defense to get right back in the game. A solid crew of guards who can break down defenses and take it to the hole led by Alex Sanchez and Jeffrey Lewis. With Lopez inside they could be tough to deal with at the York tourney and in the Upstate Eight.

Schaumburg also continued to make a big impression Friday with its 62-43 win over Conant. The Saxons come at you in waves defensively and get after it in the way some of their best teams have. Cully Payne got going and did his thing in the second half and everyone else chipped in here and there. This could be the year they make a run and have some fun at Pontiac.

Time to enjoy Sunday off and get ready for some tourney madness Monday. Hopefully I'll see you at a tourney somewhere the next couple of weeks.