Michael O’Brien’s notebook: Feb. 12, 2016

I’ll admit it, I’m in a bit of a funk. It’s no secret this hasn’t been the greatest of seasons. The talent around the area is down. Usually that isn’t a big deal for me though, I just enjoy watching high school basketball. Doesn’t matter if it is Morgan Park vs. Simeon or Perspectives-MSA vs. Solorio, I just enjoy the game.

So I’m not exactly sure why I’m not finding any great games this season. Maybe things will close strong. Heck, maybe the Public League quarterfinals tomorrow will be great.

In that spirit I went ahead and picked North Lawndale to beat Morgan Park on Twitter this afternoon. Why not? Maybe I can help spice things up a bit.

Tonight’s game was not helpful in knocking me out of the funk. Justin Pierce is a really good player, but every other player on Oak Park is better than anyone on the Hilltoppers. Made for a frustrating watch. Glenbard West didn’t make a single shot outside the post in the final 20 minutes of play (yep, two and a half quarters). It was all drives to the basket, rebounds and put-backs and free-throws. The Huskies just weren’t able to adjust.

Congrats to Glenbard West on the conference title. It’s pretty rare that I talk to kids in November, hear their bold goals, and then see them follow through.

Also, add a freshman to the list. Oak Park’s Dashon Enoch was really good tonight.

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Tonight’s top games

Lincoln-Way Central 68, Thornton 60 OT: I saw these teams play earlier in the year in Harvey. It was close for one quarter. L-W Central clearly had potential though. Patrick Rucker did play for the Wildcats, scored 17. This is a massive win for Bob Curran and the Knights, puts them in line for a really, really high sectional seed. Thornton had won 19 consecutive games.

Addison Trail 67 Proviso East 64: Massive upset. Eric Grygo led the way with 25 points. Donnie Boyce is not back coach yet, but it appears clear that the uncertainty has totally shattered the run the Pirates had going.

Batavia 58 Larkin 53: The Bulldogs clinch a share of the conference title. The Royals come another step closer to claiming the mythical “most disappointing team” title. But someone is hot on their trail….

Homewood-Flossmoor 65 Joliet West 54: The Tigers are now 14-9 and making a late run at “most disappointing team.” Yes, the Vikings are rock solid. No shame in losing to them, but Joliet West is getting defeated by bad teams (Lincoln-Way East) and now losing to good ones by double-digits. Lets hope this is just the valley before a massive March run (a guy can dream).

Marist 65, Joliet Catholic 60: Sophomore Maurice Commander scored 22, I really like his game. The Hilltoppers continue to struggle now that the schedule has improved.

Bradley-Bourbonnais 73, Lincoln-Way North 51: Micah Bradford is now the all-time leading scorer in Boilermakers history. He takes the record from Chris Gandy.

Brother Rice 67, St. Rita 51: Nice win for the Crusaders in the CCL Tournament. Still haven’t bothered to write out the bracket for this thing. Maybe it gets interesting in a week or so. Josh Niego scored 20.

Notre Dame 53 St. Viator 39: The Dons are 18-6 and seem to have maybe turned the corner…we’ve thought that before though.

St. Charles East 55, Geneva 42: This is what happens after I spend an entire week praising the Vikings. Not a huge surprise though, it was clear from the scores that St. Charles East had been playing well lately.

Deerfield 70, Niles North 60: Huge game for Jordan Baum with 28 points. I want to see Deerfield and Glenbard West play at some point this season.

Libertyville 41, Lake Zurich 40: Pretty clear that Libertyville is the best team I haven’t covered yet. Not sure if there is room this month to make that happen or not.

Providence 53, Mount Carmel 50: More CCL Tournament action. The Celtics own the Caravan this season, and are apparently just unstoppable in this tournament.

Rich Central 77, Crete-Monee 73: Minor upset here. Not good for the Warriors hopes for a high sectional seed. Jeremiah James scored 27.