CN100 Game of the Week preview: Boys Basketball - Glenbard East "When Sides Collide"

Boys Basketball – Glenbard East “When Sides Collide”
LOMBARD – The dog days of the boys basketball season are upon us – the month between holiday tournaments and the unveiling of playoff pairings.
Glenbard East is doing its part to stoke some competition outside of conference play by hosting Saturday’s When Sides Collide shootout.
Fenwick and Riverside-Brookfield lead things off at 4 p.m., followed by Evanston versus Whitney Young at 5:45 p.m. and the hosts from Glenbard East taking on Bradley-Bourbonnais at 7:15 p.m. All three games will be broadcast by CN100. Visit CN100.tv for air dates and times. All game will be available in HD with Xfinity On Demand.
Fenwick (15-2, 5-0 Chicago Catholic League) is the talk of the state after toppling state powerhouse Simeon last week. Point guard Mike Smith had another huge game as he continues to try to impress Division I coaches, despite checking in at under six feet tall. The Friars rose to fourth in the CSN Chicago power rankings this week after the Simeon win.
Riverside-Brookfield (13-2, 6-0 Metro Suburban East) keeps building on its first sectional title in program history with another impressive run. Jalen Clanton leads the way averaging 13.8 points a game, with Daniko Jackson contributing heavily. The Bulldogs are 15th in the CSN Chicago poll.
The second game, Evanston and Whitney Young, is another intriguing battle. Evanston has overcome several big injuries to come into the game at 14-2, 5-0 in the Central Suburban South. Junior Nojel Eastern has emerged as one of the area’s top players for the Wildkits. Evanston checks in at No. 7 in the CSN Chicago power rankings as they look for their third straight regional title and first sectional title in five years.
“We are in a heated stretch of five games in 10 days, with some of the toughest opponents in the area,” Evanston coach Mike Ellis said. “We have intensified our schedule to offer as many challenges as possible for our team in hopes of having it pay off for the postseason.”
Whitney Young is one of the state’s top programs, winning the 2013-14 Class 4A state title behind current Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor. The Dolphins (12-5, 6-1 Chicago Public Red West) are young but extremely talented yet again. Junior forward Lucas Williamson (14.1 PPG) and sophomore guard Xavier Castaneda (12.6 PPG) lead the way for Young.
The nightcap features two coaches who are close friends in Bradley-Bourbonnais’ Alex Renchen and Scott Miller of Glenbard East.
Bradley-Bourbonnais is in the midst of a program renaissance. The Boilermakers’ last regional title came in 1998-99, but they have finished over .500 the past two years after a long drought.
The Boilermakers (10-4, 1-4 Southwest Suburban) have some star power at their disposal. Senior guard Micah Bradford leads the way with 18.8 points, 3.8 steals and 3.4 assists per game. Senior forward Zach Hollywood is a load down low, averaging 15.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game and also features range past the three-point arc. Senior guard Dante Emerson adds 10.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
Glenbard East (11-8, 3-1 Upstate Eight Valley) has been exciting all year. The Rams dropped a pair of games at the free throw line in the final minutes, but they have also won six times in the final minute, overcoming 15, 18 and 23-point deficits along the way.
- Paul Johnson, CN100 Correspondent

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