— Sparked by Ciaran Brayboy (14 points), Griff Ryan (13 points) and Aaron Peltz (11 points), New Trier remained unbeaten in the CSL South with a 57-55 victory at Niles North on Dec. 9.
The Trevians improved their overall record to 4-2.
DePaul College Prep 61, Loyola 60
— Despite having four players score in double figures, Loyola came up just short in a road game at DePaul College Prep 61-60 on Dec. 9.
Junior Kevin Cunningham led LA’s balanced attack with 14 points. Ramar Evans ended up with 13 points, while Matt Lynch and Jordan DeGuzman finished with 10 points each. Senior Kris Lampley added eight points.
With the loss, the Ramblers fell to 3-4 overall and 1-1 in league play. The team now has lost three games by two points or less, including two overtimes.
Maine South 63, Glenbrook South 40
— It was a rough one for Glenbrook South.
The Titans slipped to 0-2 in the CSL South and 3-5 overall with a 63-40 setback to host Maine South on Dec. 9.
GBS was led by senior standout Matt Giannakopoulos (17 points).
Highland Park 48, Glenbrook North 35
— Highland Park won its third straight game by downing host Glenbrook North 48-35 on Dec. 8.
The Giants are now 4-4 overall and 2-0 in the CSL North.
GBN is now a game under .500 with a 3-4 mark. The Spartans have started 0-2 in league action.
Against the Giants, GBN had two players score in double digits: Nick Karis (13) and Kellen Witherell (12). Witherell, who was 3-for-5 from three-point range, also had eight rebounds. Karis had five rebounds and three steals.
Stevenson 50, Lake Forest 30
— Stevenson has it going — again.
The unbeaten Patriots (6-0) took care of visiting Lake Forest 50-30 in North Suburban Conference action on Dec. 6.
Brian Stickler had a solid game for the Scouts (2-4, 0-1). The senior forward tallied 13 points and six rebounds.
LF junior Mead Payne helped out with five points, three rebounds and three steals. Connor Hanekamp had four points and seven rebounds, while Reed Thomas had three steals.
Loyola 56, Providence St. Mel 40
** See Recap.
Glenbrook South 64, Prosser 51
— Matt Giannakopoulos is off to a terrific start.
The Glenbrook South senior guard has scored 23 or more points in three games this season.
Giannakopoulos poured in a season-high 29 points in GBS’s home win over Prosser 64-51 on Dec. 3.
The Titans, who improved to 3-4 overall, overcame an 18-point deficit.
Highland Park 41, Dundee-Crown 33
— Thano Fouras had it going in this game.
The Highland Park senior guard came up with one of his best varsity games ever, when he tallied 14 points and seven steals in his team’s road win at Dundee-Crown 41-33 on Dec. 3. Fouras made 4 of 8 field goals, while he went 6-for-7 at the stripe.
Junior Ziv Tal also finished in double figures (10 points) to go along with a team-best four rebounds.
Jack Zeidler added nine points and two steals, while Luke Zemelis had six points for the 4-3 Giants.
Deerfield 51, Glenbrook North 50
— Alex Casieri hit the game-winning shot with two seconds left to propel Deerfield to a 51-50 win over visiting Glenbrook North on Dec. 2.
Junior Kellen Witherell tallied 20 points and eight rebounds for Spartans (3-3, 0-1). Teammate Tommy Gertner also finished in double digits (10 points). He added six rebounds and two steals.
James Karis was the assist leader (4) for GBN. The other top rebounders were Sean Merrigan (5) and Brandon Bayzaee (4).
Casieri scored 20 points for the Warriors.
New Trier 60, Glenbrook South 52
— In a season-opening CSL South clash on Dec. 2, New Trier topped visiting Glenbrook South 60-52.
The Trevians (3-2, 1-0) were led in scoring by Aaron Peltz (16 points) and Ciaran Brayboy (15 points).
GBS’s Matt Giannakopoulos was the game’s top scorer with 24 points.
Highland Park 49, Vernon Hills 25
— Jack Zeidler pumped in 16 points to lead Highland Park to a decisive 49-25 victory over visiting Vernon Hills in opening round CSL North action on Dec. 2.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak.
Zeidler came up with an impressive all-around game. He made 5 of 8 field goals and 4 of 4 free throws. He also had six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
HP’s Daniel Michelon also finished in double figures (10 points), while Ziv Tal had eight points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists. Tyler Gussis was credited with three assists, while Noah Shutan had four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Notre Dame 44, Loyola 42 (OT)
— In a game played on the big court at the University of Illinois-Chicago, Loyola came up just short.
The Ramblers (2-3) fell 44-42 to Notre Dame in overtime on Dec. 2.
LA was led by Ramar Evans (12 points, 3 steals) and Matt Lynch (10 points, 8 rebounds).
Glenbrook North 68, Glenbrook South 60
— Hot foul shooting by James Karis helped to lift host Glenbrook North past district rival Glenbrook South 68-60.
Karis led all scorers with 27 points in the Nov. 29 showdown. The senior point guard was 14-for-18 from the stripe. He also had five steals, four rebounds and four assists.
Kellen Witherell and Tommy Gertner came up with 15 points apiece for the 3-2 Spartans. Gertner added five rebounds.
GBN’s leading rebounder was Brandon Bayzaee (6).
GBS’s top scorer was Matt Giannakopoulos (19 points).
Buffalo Grove Tournament
— Glenbrook South finished 2-2 in the Buffalo Grove Thanksgiving Tournament.
Led by sophomores Jimmy McMahon (13 points) and Will King (12 points), they capped the four-game set with a 57-48 victory over Grayslake Central on Nov. 26.
GBS’s other win came in the opener against Christian Liberty 89-40 on Nov. 21. Matt Giannakopoulos paced the offensive outburst with 17 points and 11 rebounds. George Arvanitis had five assists.
In second-round action on Nov. 22, the Titans were defeated by Stevenson 81-53. Giannakopoulos had 23 points.
And, in a third-round game on Nov. 23, host Buffalo Grove topped GBS 64-50. McMahon finished with a team-high 13 points.
For his play, Giannakopoulos was named to the all-tournament team.
Glenbrook North/St. Patrick Tournament
— The host Spartans finished 2-2 in the contest. They had wins over Hoffman Estates 62-58 and Hersey 70-61. They sustained losses to Niles West 52-47 and St. Patrick 53-46.
* See feature story on GBN’s Kellen Witherell.
St. Viator Tournament
— In a tough field at the St. Viator Thanksgiving Tournament, Highland Park wound up going 1-4.
The Giants lone victory was in the opener on Nov. 21, then they topped the host Lions 63-49. Daniel Michelon (15 points), Ziv Tal (14 points, 3 assists), Jack Zeidler (11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, steals), Tyler Gussis (9 points) and Noah Shutan (5 steals) led the way.
In the second round, HP fell to Conant 59-44 on Nov. 22. The stat leaders were Tal (9 points, 3 rebounds), Michelon (7 points) and Zeidler (5 points).
Evanston topped HP 58-44 in a third-round game on Nov. 23. Tal finished with 14 points and two blocks. Zeidler had 10 points and two assists.
Prospect defeated the Giants 56-49 on Nov. 25. Tal led the team with 15 points and three steals. Michelon came up with 13 points, including three three-pointers. Thano Fourlas had eight points. Shutan had three steals.
In the tourney finale, HP dropped a 44-39 decision to Libertyville on Nov. 26. Tal poured in 19 points in the loss, while he added six rebounds and three steals. Shutan had seven points and three steals.
New Trier/Loyola Academy Tournament
— After three tough losses, Lake Forest regrouped in the seventh-place game at the New Trier/Loyola Thanksgiving Tournament.
On Nov. 26, the Scouts got into the win column with a 57-45 victory over Mather. Justin McMahon, who was named to the all-tournament team, paced LF with 15 points, five rebounds and three steals. Connor Hanekamp had 13 points in the win, while Brian Stickler ended up with eight points and five rebounds. Reed Thomas contributed seven points and four rebounds.
In the opening round of the tourney on Nov. 21, the Scouts (1-2) came up short against U High 45-38. McMahon tallied 20 points, five rebounds and four steals. Stickler had nine points and nine rebounds.
On Nov. 22, Benet Academy downed LF 49-35. Stickler led the team with 12 points and four rebounds.
And on Nov. 23, the Scouts suffered a 39-35 setback to St. Ignatius. Hanekamp led the team with 16 points and four steals. Stickler had seven points and 10 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Loyola took runner-up honors, while New Trier placed third in the eight-team Thanksgiving Tournament. Both teams finished with 2-2 records.
* See feature on New Trier’s Andrew Kirkpatrick.