PONTIAC—One of the storylines heading into the 93rd Pontiac Holiday Tournament was that the event lacked a major star. Peoria Manual senior Dietrich Richardson put an end to that speculation early Thursday morning in the tournament opener.
Richardson, a Bradley recruit, had 37 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Rams to a 76-74 overtime win against Plainfield North.
Richardson missed the first nine games of the season with an injury.
"This was my second game back but I'm at 100%," Richardson said. "It's so good to be back. I'm feeling confident."
Manual (8-3) trailed 68-61 with 1:37 to play. Richardson scored six of the Rams' eight points in the surge that tied the game at the end of regulation.
"It was energy and leadership, getting everyone on the same page to make the comeback," Richardson said. "We put our bodies on the line to win the game."
Overtime was marred by controversy when the shot clock was erroneously shut off on Manual's last possession. The Rams led 76-74 and were given a shot clock violation even though the shot clock wasn't running. Plainfield North (5-5) wasn't able to capitalize, missing a potential game-tying shot at the buzzer.
Terrence Page scored 17 for Manual and Joshua Humbles added 11 points.
Plainfield North built its lead during a sparkling 15-point third quarter from senior Quinten Wiencek. He finished with 29 points. Sophomore Darin Ashiru scored 14 and had five assists for the Tigers.
Manual will face top-seed Simeon in the second round on Friday.
Simeon 89, Bloomington 32
The blowout win marked Andre Tyler's return. The junior checked in during the first quarter and finished with 13 points. He missed several recent games, including Simeon's three-game losing streak, with an illness.
Julien Doyle continued his emergence as a dependable scorer with 22 points and nine rebounds.
The Wolverines (6-3) led 20-2 after one quarter.
Benet 70, Danville 36
The Redwings turned things up in the second quarter, getting to the basket at will.
Guard Blake Fagbemi scored 13 points. Colin Stack, a 7-2 junior, had 13 points and 9 rebounds and Daniel Pauliukonis scored 11.
Danville was led by CL Dye and Amir Beasley, who both scored eight points.
Beasley is a freshman guard listed at 6-7 but is clearly taller. He's an intriguing player to keep an eye on.
Bloom 60, West Aurora 54 OT
Elijah Lovemore reached the point where there was no other option. He had to get a shot off somehow, some way.
So that’s what he did, heaving up a game-tying, buzzer-beater three-pointer at the end of regulation. It went in.
After a miserable start and a gutsy comeback, Bloom had a chance to beat West Aurora. The Blazing Trojans took advantage. They grabbed their first lead on a layup by Amare Pryor halfway through overtime and held on to win.
“They were trying to foul me so I couldn’t get a shot up,” Lovemore said. “They hit me a couple of times so I dropped the ball. I had to get it up. I trusted myself and thought I could hit it.”
Lovemore scored 15 points and had 10 rebounds.
Impressive sophomore point guard Travis Brown finished with 16 points, five assists, four rebounds and three blocks for West Aurora.
New Trier 64, St. Charles North 47.
New Trier junior Christopher Kirkpatrick filled up the stat sheet with 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Colby Smith led the Trevians with 17 points and Danny Houlihan scored 16.
Curie 68, Oak Park 50
Curie led by just five points with 6:38 left. A three-pointer from Mike Oliver Jr. ignited an 18-2 burst to seal the win for the Condors.
Kendall Holliday scored 17 and Justin Oliver added 16 points and 6 assists for Curie. The Condors had just two turnovers and forced Oak Park into 19.
Mike Oliver's team lacks experience, but has made up for it with depth and unselfishness. It's a hard group to get a handle on with so many new faces and no obvious stars, but they have quickly acclimated to winning at the varsity level.
Alex Gossett led Oak Park with 17 points.
DePaul Prep 73, Pontiac 23
Makai Kvamme and Rashaun Porter both scored 13 for the Rams. Pontiac hung in pretty well for a quarter but then DePaul Prep took over.
Rams lead 48-12 at halftime, scored 32 in the 2Q.
Conrad Pfaff led Pontiac with seven points.
Joliet West 66, Lockport 53
The Tigers took control with a late 18-0 run.
Zion Gross scored 15 points, Ethan Hillsman had 14 and Mickeis Johnson added 12 points and 7 rebounds.
Lockport guard Bryce Turner is an interesting player. The 5-10 senior scored 17 points, a ton on post baskets.
