It has been a fun and competitive month of Summer Grassroots Basketball for Teams and Players from Northern Illinois. Many of these teams traveled too the prestigious Run 4 the Roses event in Louisville in early July. Below are some…
It has been a fun and competitive month of Summer Grassroots Basketball for Teams and Players from Northern Illinois. Many of these teams traveled too the prestigious Run 4 the Roses event in Louisville in early July.
Below are some highlights of how these teams fared and players who came to the tournament looking for recognition and caught our eye during the tournament.
Top Teams
Lincolnway Xplosion 17U – With numerous talented from the Southwest Suburbs on it’s roster , the Xplosion won their pool going 4-0 and advanced in bracket play to the finals before losing to the Minnesota Stars in closely contested battle in the championship.
The Truth 17U Coletti – After going .500 in pool play, this hard working group rolled through the Silver Bracket and defeated the NJ Freedom 68-63 to bring home a bracket championship.
All In Lady Elite Johnson 17U- After being challenged in pool play, this talented bunch won the Bracket Championship in the Faith Division defeating 1on1 MIlwaukee Red in the title game.
Bracket Champions – These teams won their respective Bracket Championships after competing in Pool Play
Illinois Rockets Spears 16U
Midwest Wildcats Westlund 17U
Other Teams of Notes
Pool Winners – These teams went 4-0 in Pool Play
Illinois Hoops Dreams 17U
Illinois Defenders Black 17U
Mac Irvin Black 15U
Runner Up in Bracket Play – These teams advanced were the runner -up in their Brackets after competing in Pool Play
Mercury Elite Ralston 17U
Illinois Hoop Dreams White 16U
Top Performers
Below are some players who helped their team be successful in this event.
Emily Koziol Illinois Rockets 17U (Hinsdale South)- With an effortless release on her jump shot, Koziol showed that she has plenty of range behind the arc by making a number of 3’s through out the weekend. Above average ball -handling and defense rounds out a solid all -around game.
Caitlyn Rochon Lincolnway Xpolsion 17U (Lincoln Way Central) – An up and coming point guard Rochon is playing two levels up above her age level on a very talented Xplosion team and showing that she belongs as her playmaking ability continues to improve. A good overall shooter with a mid-range game look to hear her name alot in the future.
Kelsey Kelley The Truth Colletti 17U (Stagg HS) – A 5’8 guard with a lightning quick first step , Kelley put up big numbers in Louisville scoring 25 and 24 points in two of the games her squad played. Tenacious defense on the ball adds to her ability to create scoring opportunities from all over the floor.
Destiny Hall All in Elite Johnson 17U (Morgan Park ) – Hall turned in one of the best stat lines of the tournament. She averaged 14 points , 4.7 rebounds and 3.9 stls for an All In Team that won a bracket championship . Her quickness with the ball in her hands enables to her make plays to herself and her teammates. Defensively she is one of the best on ball defenders in the state and rebounds her position very well.