By Xavier Sanchez
Correspondent
The 49th annual Jack Tosh Holiday Classic took place at York High School from December 26-30.
The holiday season mainstay that would have been in its 50th year, but for the Covid-abridged 2020-2021 season, consisted of 32-teams, including some that are highly rated or expected to be contenders for deep postseason runs.
The event did not disappoint, with Metamora taking the title via a 72-71 overtime win over Bolingbrook. Downers Grove North took third place, Palatine placed fourth and Lake Forest won the consolation championship.
Lyons, Nazareth, Riverside-Brookfield, St. Laurence and Stagg were the area teams that participated in the tournament, which is among the most competitive holiday events in the state. From players and coaches to fans and members of the press, people continue to talk about how well the tourney is run by host school York.
“This is the best tournament in the state,” said St. Laurence coach Byron Burt. “It can be the best in the country.
“It’s a good experience for us. Players love being here. It is top competition. I think our kids want to play against the best and prove themselves amongst these guys.”
The Vikings (8-7, 3-0 Chicago Catholic White), participating in the tournament for the third consecutive season, started off with a 64-63 overtime win over Andrew, then defeated Rolling Meadows, 52-47. Bradley Stratton, Josh Pickett and Caleb Lindsey combined for 45 of the Vikings’ 64 points in their win over Andrew.
St. Laurence finished with losses to Downers Grove North and Glenbrook South. Against the Trojans, junior guard Zerrick Johnson scored 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting and added five rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Pickett was one of 20 players to earn All-Tournament honors after averaging 12 points and 5.5 rebounds.
“There’s a lot of competition,” Johnson said of the Tosh. “The atmosphere is great. There is a crowd at every game and I like those big games.”
Burt is proud of Johnson and the jumps he continues to make each game.
“This is an expectation that I have for Zerrick — to be a dominant player. And he is. He’s one of the best players in his junior class. I am just happy we have him on our side.”
Riverside Brookfield (13-2, 2-0 Metro Suburban) had a strong showing at the tournament, going 3-1 with wins over Minooka, Lyons and Conant. Their loss came in the second round against fourth-place finisher Palatine.
The Bulldogs had a point differential of plus-13.7 across their wins, including 71-56 over Lyons. Four Bulldogs scored in double figures, with Steven Brown leading the way with 26 points (10-of-13 FG) and eight assists. Stefan Cicic had 18 points and eight rebounds.
Against Conant, Cicic finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds). He averaged 17.3 points and 8.8 rebounds to earn all-tournament honors.
Lyons (4-8, 1-2 West Suburban Silver) went 2-2 at the tournament, which it began with a 62-61 win over St. Patrick. After two straight losses, they ended 2023 with a 63-42 win over St. Francis. Eight Lions scored at least one basket in the game.
Senior Brady Chambers had a game-high 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Liam Taylor finished with 13 points and was all over the court with five rebounds (three offensive), two assists, two steals and zero turnovers.
Nazareth (5-9, 1-4 East Suburban Catholic) went 1-3, with its only win a 45-38 triumph over Minooka. Seven Roadrunners scored in the victory, with Talen Pearson tallying a team-high nine points to go along with six rebounds.
In a 58-57 loss to Hinsdale South, Nazareth’s Danny Wrzesinski scored 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. Rasim Johnson had 13 points and Pearson dished out 10 assists.
Stagg (11-5, 1-1 SouthWest Suburban Red) started out the tournament with a 51-48 win before dropping their next three to Downers Grove North, Rolling Meadows and Batavia. Against DG North, the Chargers erased an early 13-point deficit to take a late lead before falling, 55-54, on a buzzer-beating layup.
Senior guard Connor Williams averaged 17.3 points on 55 percent shooting, 4.3 rebounds, and four assists across the Chargers’ four games.