Handing out the holiday grades

The initial volley in the season of jolly is in the books, with more holiday action coming this week.
Here's a team-by-team report card of how Patch.com teams performed in their respective tournaments, grouped from top to bottom, good-as-gold to ho-ho-horrible.

Huntley Red Raiders: (3-1 at Jacobs Tournament, 10-2 overall)
Grade: A-
Holiday Tournaments in December are the second measuring stick for basketball teams, the first being the initial spate of Thanksgiving tournament contests. The young, hustling Red Raiders of Huntley have fared tremendously in both arenas, gobbling up Turkey Day competition to win the Strombom title and finishing runner-up at the recent Jacobs Holiday Tournament.
Along the way they demonstrated grace under pressure, posting a pair of two-point wins against fine teams from Zion-Benton (57-55) and a game Barrington squad ( 52-50).
The undersized Huntley team could not cope with the Mundelein Mustangs in the championship game, coming up on the short end of a 60-50 decision.
The Red Raiders placed the most players on the all-tournament team, with Tyler Brunschon, Dylan Neukirch and Troy Miller all making the honor squad.
Next game: Jan 4 at Woodstock.

Barrington Broncos: (3-2 at Jacobs Holiday Tournament, 9-6 overall)
Grade: B+
The Broncos were just a couple of baskets away from going 5-0 at the Jacobs tourney, losing their first game to a fine Crystal Lake South team by one point in the closing seconds and dropping a semifinal match to the eventual runners-up from Huntley by a score of 52-50. I know that Barrington is a deep team, but you can't help but wonder if having Greg Gerrard, a senior leader and MVP of the Mundelein Thanksgiving Tournament, could have made a difference in those two close-councounters. Gerrard was out with an ankle injury.
Tyler Weathered, who was not even a starter at the beginning of the season, has come up gangbusters in Gerrard's absence, with a 25-point game in the win against St. Charles North and earning a spot on the Jacobs All-Tournament Team.
Next game Jan. 4 at Elk Grove.

Crystal Lake South Gators: (4-1 at Jacobs Tournament, 8-4 overall)
Grade: B
The Gators provided Jacobs Tourney fans with perhaps the most exciting ending to a game when Robbie Lemke popped in a 3-pointer to wrest victory away from Barrington in the Jacobs opener for both teams.
But Crystal Lake South, competing in perhaps the toughest pool, lost to a fine St. Charles team and that one defeat was enough to eliminate them from advancing to the championship bracket. St. Charles, Barrington and Crystal Lake South all registered 2-1 marks in pool play, with Barrington advancing based on free throw percentage.
The Gators then went out and handily won their last two games in consolation play.
The team has a long respite before starting Fox Valley Valley play against an extremely tough Huntley team.
Next game: Jan 11 at home against Huntley.

Fremd Vikings: (2-2 at Elgin Tournament, 8-6 overall)
Grade: B
It's hard to know what to make of this Vikings team, even with 14 games in the book.
They fared better than their .500 record would indicate at the Elgin tourney, especially considering they were without the services of South Dakota State-bound standout guard Zach Monaghan for all but their last game.
The heart and soul of this team, Monaghan and fellow Vikings hoopster Joe Leaf were involved in what coach Bob Widlowski described as a very bad car accident on Thursday, Dec. 16.
Before tournament's end, both were back in uniform, with Monaghan sporting a mask to protect a badly cut face, but still managing 23 points in a losing cause against Centennial.
The team managed two wins in the three games it played without their top player, including an impressive 10-point victory against a very good Buffalo Grove team.
Fremd has yet to suit up all of its key players at one time this season.
Leaf, at 6-foot-7, was in the process of rounding into form following Tommy John surgery before this auto mishap, and Junior Garrett Peters, a guard who can give the team a much-needed boost in the scoring department, is still recovering from a broken foot and not expected back until mid- to late January.
In the meantime, the Vikings remained competitive, with guard Quinton Brown, center Jack Konopka and Jim Scharfe contributing big time at the tourney.
It will be interesting to see how this team competes at full strength, if that ever happens.
Next game: Jan. 4 vs. Wheeling.

Buffalo Grove Bison: (1-3 at Elgin, 8-5 overall)
Grade: C
The Bison went into the Elgin tournament with high expectations and riding a three-game winning streak but except for a 20-point win against Batavia in the opener, the results did not live up to  expectations. Losses included a 72-62 defeat at the hands of a Fremd Viking team that was missing its star player. Truth be told, except for the opening game, the Bison was missing its big man, 6-foot-7 junior Sam Wacker, to injury.
Senior guard Nick Prus was exceptional in the tourney, scoring 21 in the win against Batavia and tickling the twine for 32 in the loss to Fremd. Prus dropped in an amazing seven 3-pointers against the Vikings.
Next game Jan. 4 at Hoffman Estates.

Cary-Grove Trojans: (2-3 at Jacobs Tournament; 5-8 overall)
Grade: C
The Trojans continue to have trouble putting points on the board, but still managed to come away with a pair of wins at the Jacobs affair. Nick Richter was his usual sterling self for Cary-Grove, making it on the all-tournament team. And the good news is that he got a little bit of help in the scoring column from teammates Matt Aluert and Jon Guay in a couple of the games.
The best I've seen the Trojans play this year came in the first three quarters in their loss to the semifinalist Bartlett Hawks. The Trojans hung in there tough in that game, despite a first quarter barrage of five treys by the Hawks. In the second quarter the Trojans looked like they truly belonged on the same court with the highly rated Bartlett squad. And at one point in the third quarter the Trojans were within a point of their opponents before Bartlett pulled away with a 9-0 run.
Next game Jan. 5 at Elgin.

Jacobs Golden Eagles: (2-3 at own holiday tournament, 6-5 overall)
Grade: C
The Golden Eagles beat the two teams that they were expected to handle and then lost three straight to favored foes.
After two decisive wins against Tilden and Elk Grove to start pool play, Jacobs needed to upset the eventual tournament champs, the Mundelein Mustangs, to advance to the championship round. But in the only first-round contest to feature a pair of 2-0 foes, it was apparent from the start that the Golden Eagles were overmatched.
Mundelein's run-and-gun style had the Golden Eagles on their heels from the start, and at the end of eight minutes it was 23-8. The home team slammed the door defensively in the second half, but the Mustangs had long since vacated the barn.  
"We pride ourselves on our defense," said Jacobs coach Jim Hinkle afterward. "But we just weren't ready for their scoring capabilities. "We usually hold a team to the 40s in points, but they had 44 by halftime."
Guard Nick Hofman made the all-tournament team, but the Golden Eagles need one or two more players to step up offensively if they expect to make any noise as the season progresses.
Next game: Jan. 8 at South Elgin.

Crystal Lake Central Tigers: (3-2 at Jacobs Tournament, 10-3 overall)
Grade: C-
It's been a while since I've seen the Tigers play, but based on the game I witnessed and the team's win total since then, I was of the belief that they were poised to make a strong run at winning this tournament.
Instead, the Tigers did not make it to the championship round, getting hammered in a key pool play game, 61-45, to Bartlett. From there, Crystal Lake Central posted predictable wins against Cary-Grove and St. Edward before struggling to beat the host team from Jacobs by a point. They then lost by seven to a slightly better-than-average Zion-Benton team.
One bright spot for sure is that 6-foot-6 Jake Chrystal, who was not even in the starting lineup the last time I saw the Tigers play, made the Jacobs All-Tournament Team. The down side of that is he was the Tigers lone representative, and I believe Crystal Lake Central has at least three other players who were capable of attaining that honor.
The team has more than a week to work out the kinks prior to its conference opener against Grayslake Central.
Next game Jan 5 vs. Grayslake Central.

Prairie Ridge Wolves: (1-4 at Jacobs Tournament, 2-10 overall)
Grade: D+
The good news is that the Wolves ended the tournament on a winning note, beating lowly Tilden 53-52 and breaking a nine-game losing streak in the process. The bad news is that they were soundly beaten in the first four games of the holiday affair. The closest they came to anyone besides Tilden was the 15 points loss to Marian Central. Sean Valentine continued to shine offensively in this tournament, but he needs help.
It must, however, be pointed out that the schedule the Wolves faced was one of the toughest in the tourney, with a quartet of games against some of the best teams at the Algonquin gathering: Barrington, Crystal Lake South and St. Charles North, all boasting winning records.
The best news is that the next opponent for the Wolves is 1-11 Johnsburg to open Fox Valley Fox play. Johnsburg hasn't won since it's first game of the year. A two-game winning streak would be most refreshing for coach Corky Card's Prairie Ridge team.
Next game: Jan 5 at Johnsburg.

Grayslake North Knights: (2-2 at Grant Tournament, 8-3 overall)
Grade: D+
The Knights entered the Grant tourney with a 6-1 record and high hopes of snagging a championship. Those aspirations were immediately dashed with two immediate losses -- a 53-50 defeat to Northridge Prep and a sound 63-52 spanking at the hands of McHenry, the eventual tourney champs.
The loss to McHenry was especially tough to swallow, because the Knights had bested that same team earlier this season. That victory over McHenry was a signature win for Grayslake North, one of only two McHenry has suffered this seaon. The two Grant Tournament wins over Lakes and Johnsburg were nice, but expected.
Individually, Teddy Ludwick and big man David Sparks continued to shine at the Grant tourney.
Next game: Jan. 5 at Woodstock in Fox Valley Fox play.

Dundee-Crown Chargers: (1-3 at Elgin Tournament, 5-5 overall)
Grade: D
The Chargers  managed just one win at Elgin and did not come within eight points in any of their three losses.
In a game that could have changed their tournament fortunes, Dundee-Crown frittered away a 14-point lead and lost by 11 to Glenbrook South, a sub-.500 team at the time. For those who want to do the math, that's a 25-point turnaround.
The Chargers came into the tournament riding a three-game win streak, but closer examination shows those three victories coming against less-than-fearsome foes from Johnsburg, Prairie Ridge and Woodstock.
I was more impressed, actually, with Dundee-Crown's loss against a very tough Huntley team just prior to the win streak in which the Chargers came within four points of the Red Raiders.
The one good thing about the Elgin tourney is that Dundee-Crown's lone win was against Elgin Larkin, which happens to be the team's next opponent.
Next game: Jan. 7 at Elgin Larkin.

Tourney-bound this week:
Lake Forest Scouts and Grayslake Central Rams at State Farm Holiday Classic in Bloomington
Lake Zurich Bears at Pekin Holiday Tournament
Libertyville Wildcats and Stevenson Patriots at The Wheeling Hardwood Classic
Palatine Pirates at Jack Tosh Holiday Classic at York High School

Top Patch Teams Witnessed thus far on Hardwood Tour
1. Huntley Red Raiders (10-2)
2. Crystal Lake Central Tigers (10-3)
3. Crystal Lake South Gators (8-4)
4. Barrington Broncos (9-6)
5. Fremd Vikings (8-6)
6. Buffalo Grove Bison (8-5)
7. Grayslake North Knights (8-3)
8. Libertyville Wildcats (5-4)
9. Jacobs Golden Eagles (6-5)