Michael O’Brien’s notebook: Dec. 8, 2018

St. Viator senior Jeremiah Hernandez had a point to prove on Saturday in the Team Rose Shootout at Mount Carmel.

He made his first seven shots in a 72-69 win against Oswego East. Then in the third quarter he wowed the crowd with a steal and stylish behind the back move on his way to the basket. Hernandez finished with 36 points and five rebounds, he shot 12-for-18 from the field.

It was a command performance, but Wolves senior RayJ Dennis almost matched it. Dennis scored 26 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 34.

“We have a lot of pent up stuff in us, being from the suburbs and not getting the respect we deserve sometimes,” Hernandez said. “I knew it was going to be a tough matchup with both of us wanting to come out and show the city people what we have.”

Hernandez has signed with Kent State, Dennis with Boise State. Hernandez has raised his game significantly this season. He says securing his college spot took a weight off his shoulders.

“After the commitment my family sat down and said to have fun this year,” Hernandez said. “Go and have fun and play for that Player of the Year. That’s what I’m trying to do.”

“[Hernandez] has taken that senior leadership role to a new level for sure,” Lions coach Quin Hayes said. “He’s playing exceptional basketball and that is an understatement.”

No. 8 St. Viator (7-1) led by 11 at halftime and 12 after three quarters.

“It created that cushion so when a guy as special as RayJ goes off we still have that cushion to maintain the lead and win the game,” Hayes said. “He’s a heck of a player.”

The Lions have another D1 guard, Wright State recruit Treyvon Calvin. He scored 21 points and grabbed six rebounds.

“Right now the juniors that weren’t with us last year are stepping up and learning how to play with these two,” Hayes said. “Michael Campagna played a heck of a basketball game. We can do something special [this season], we hope to.”

Denis was 11-for-20 shooting. Sam Shultz, a 6-7 junior, had 16 points and 15 rebounds for the No. 12 Wolves (6-1).

“We can’t come out sluggish like that,” Denis said. “We have to come out and play with pressure. This is going to help us a lot because we understand that we are beatable and we can lose a game.”

No. 3 Bloom 83, No. 4 Morgan Park 75: The Blazing Trojans led 57-40 after Keshawn Williams’ dunk with 3:50 to play in the third quarter. From then on it turned into what Bloom coach Dante Maddox called “a rugby match.”

“I’m very proud,” Maddox said. “Standing up to someone that has been so good all these years, believing in yourself and keeping your composure.

“There was a lot of talking before the game on social media. It was important to our kids to show heart and show they can play. The south suburbs don’t get the respect. I was criticized and ridiculed a lot for having a vision. I said these were special kids. They have never been embraced, they have been hated on. Last year we didn’t have a senior so people boycotted games and said they weren’t going to go see young guys lose. Now the excitement is building and after this victory they will be embraced.”

Junior Keshawn Williams had 22 points and Justin Moote scored 17 off the bench.

“I’ve never been in a game like that, they were overly physical,” Williams said. “I’m glad I kept my composure.”

Martice Mitchell, a 6-9 junior, continues to improve and is clearly one of the state’s top prospects. He had 14 points, seven rebounds and five blocks.

Dante Maddox Jr. scored 13 and Donovan Newby added 11. Maddox had several key baskets in the third quarter to help thwart Morgan Park’s comeback.

“This is a huge win,” Maddox Jr. said. “We came in thinking we were going to win, this is not an upset to us. It is an eye-opener for the rest of the state. We are something serious.”

Adam Miller led Morgan Park with 31 points and Marcus Watson scored 17.

No. 23 Uplift 71, No. 17 Brother Rice 69 OT: Markese Jacobs takes it to the rack for the winner with two seconds left in overtime. He scored 25. Detalian Brown had 21 and Tavion Underwood added 13. Crusaders senior Marquise Kennedy was a load on both ends of the floor, finished with 36. Luke Moustakas, a 6-5 sophomore, added 11 points.

Eduprize (AZ) 82, Von Steuben 48: Shon Robinson, a transfer from Morgan Park, scored 12 for Eduprize.

N0. 18 Farragut 54, No. 16 Riverside-Brookfield 44: The Admirals have their own particular style. It isn’t always pretty, but it is effective. Farragut played hard-nosed defense for 32 minutes and crashed the boards to pull off a huge win. Aaron Strong had 19 points, six rebounds and five steals. Sophomore Malik Williams was a hawk on defense and scored 13. Derrick Clark, another sophomore, had five points and eight rebounds. Freshmen Mikell and Mikqwon Jones both played well.

Reginald Loury led the Bulldogs with 15 points and six rebounds. Andrew Veon, a 6-6 senior that is having a terrific season so far, scored 11 and grabbed 11 boards. Zach Vaia scored 10. Riverside-Brookfield was 6-for-33 from three-point range.

Providence-St. Mel 56, Lemont 44: A big second half wins it for the Knights. Tyriel Nelson scored 17, Eric Jordan 11 and big UIC recruit Taeyon Neal scored eight, including a crucial pair of buckets when the Indians were threatening in the fourth quarter. Drake recruit Nate Ferguson had 15 points for Lemont and Billy Bozue led with 17.

Saturday’s top games

St. Frances Academy, Md. 66, No. 1 Young 57: The Dolphins lose their first game of the season. DJ Steward scored 15, Tyler Beard had 13 and sophomore Grant Newell added 10 points and 10 rebounds.

No. 21 Glenbrook South 62, Glenbrook North 44: Rivalry win for the Titans, who have not stumbled after the big Evanston victory. Dom Martinelli scored 26 points.

Fenwick 74, Peoria Manual 65: Sophomore Bryce Hopkins dropped 31. Solomon Oraegbu added 20 points and nine rebounds.

Madison East, Wis. 79, No. 5 Bolingbrook 74: The Raiders lose in Iowa, that is two in a row now.

North Crowley, Tex. 66, Kankakee 51: The Kays lose in Springfield, Missouri. Word is North Crowley is pretty good.