Stronger, aggressive Rykan Woo helps No. 1 DePaul Prep take down No. 3 Kankakee

The preseason No. 1 ranking is a fun bit of hype for the school that picks it up and fans enjoy debating the merits of the top-ranked team for a few weeks. But it is a meaningless designation that doesn’t help a team win a single ballgame.

DePaul Prep, the top-ranked team this preseason, took its first step towards actually earning the No. 1 designation on Sunday in the Team Rose Shootout at Mount Carmel. The Rams knocked off No. 3 Kankakee 56-49.

Brown recruit Rykan Woo led DePaul Prep (8-1) with 21 points. He scored on an array of daring, physical drives to the basket.

“I was just kinda taking what the defense gave me," Woo said. "They were pressuring us and I know I’m capable of going by my man and I beat him. There wasn’t a lot of help at the rim so I could finish.”

Brown advised Woo to put on some muscle over the summer and he did, adding 10 pounds of muscle according to Rams coach Tom Kleinschmidt.

“Me and Planet Fitness, the whole summer,” Woo said. “I got that free membership.”

Toledo recruit Rashuan Porter, a 6-7 senior, added 14 points and 11 rebounds for DePaul Prep.

“[Teams] are trying to take him away,” Kleinschmidt said. “If he can get 14 and 11 I will take it. And he made some big free throws down the stretch. We didn’t play a really good game and Kankakee had something to do with that.”

AJ Chambers scored nine for the Rams and sophomore Blake Choice added seven points. All of DePaul Prep’s points came from its five starters.

The Kays trailed by six points at halftime and cut DePaul Prep’s lead to four points on Kenaz Jackson’s three-pointer with 39 seconds left.

But 11 missed free throws doomed Kankakee, which was led by 6-7 senior EJ Hazelett, an Indiana State recruit. Hazelett, who transferred to Kankakee this season from Indiana, played excellent defense on DePaul Prep’s 6-7 Rashaun Porter and finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds

Hazelett was 6-for-9 shooting and 2 of 3 from three-point range. His teammate, 6-6 senior Lincoln Williams, added 14 points, three rebounds and three steals.

Kankakee (5-1) has lived up to its own preseason hype as one of the top contenders for the Class 3A state title.

“[Williams and Hazelett] are both great players,” Woo said. “They were talking and we were talking and I like that. I’m confident in myself. I know what I’m capable of doing. I feel like I can compete with anyone in the state.”

Jackson finished with nine points for the Kays. Cedric Terrell III, one of Kankakee’s key players, injured his arm very early in the third quarter and did not return.

Marist demolishes Hyde Park

Marist wasn’t happy with its performance in the Chicago Elite Classic last weekend. The RedHawks lost to Sidwell Friends, a Washington D.C. prep school powerhouse.

The defeat didn’t impact Marist’s local standing. The team is deep and talented and a legitimate contender for the Class 4A state championship.

“But it left a sour taste in our mouth,” RedHawks coach Brian Hynes said after his team demolished Hyde Park 59-31 on Sunday in the Team Rose Shootout at Mount Carmel. “We didn’t play all week. We had some tough practices and they were ready to take it out on someone else.”

Junior Kendall Meyers led Marist (5-1) with 12 points Ryan Lawlor and Adoni Vassilakis each scored 10.

Marist led 25-2 in the second quarter and Hyde Park (6-3) never challenged.

“We’ve been working on our defense all week,” RedHawks senior Charles Barnes said. “We came back with a higher intensity.”

Marist was without Stephen Brown. The 6-7 senior, who has signed with North Carolina State for football, was not at the game. Hynes said he was missing due to personal reasons.

Mount Carmel upsets Glenbard East

Mount Carmel was a bit of an afterthought in the preseason. Senior guard Noah Mister transferred to prep school in the summer, and several other players left as well.

But coach Phil Segroves has more talent on hand than many realized, and now that star football player Marshaun Thornton is back with the team, the Caravan is a real threat.

Thornton, a 6-2 sophomore, scored 14 points in Mount Carmel’s 51-48 upset of undefeated Glenbard East at the Team Rose Classic on Sunday.

“It’s been a rough transition [to basketball],” Thornton said. “But I’m trying to get back and do everything I can to help the team win.”

Thornton spent a large portion of the game guarding Glenbard East’s leading scorer, South Dakota recruit Michael Nee, who finished with 12 points.

“It was a tough matchup chasing him around,” Thornton said. “I’m not really in basketball shape. He made me in shape. He’s a great player. He can shoot and he’s a dog all around, so I liked that.”

Junior Logan Wessel had 10 points and seven rebounds for the Caravan (5-3). Wessel’s three-pointer with 40 seconds left turned out to be the game-winner. Nee had a chance to tie the game but missed a three-pointer with 10 seconds left.

Mount Carmel has two of the state’s most promising freshmen, 6-3 Ronald Johnson and 6-5 Da’Kylen Heard. Johnson finished with 13 points and seven rebounds. Heard had two points, two rebounds and two blocks in limited minutes.

Loyola survives Kenwood

Loyola didn’t score a field goal in the fourth quarter but held on to beat Kenwood 50-46 in the Team Rose Shootout.

The Ramblers (9-1) took control of the game by outscoring the Broncos 23-15 in the third quarter. Loyola shot 6 of 12 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to secure the win.

Junior Luke Alvarez led the Ramblers with 16 points, and senior Broderick Munsey-Johnson added 13 points. Trey Williams, a Cornell recruit, finished with 12 points and five rebounds for Loyola.

Damari Stephens led Kenwood (6-1) with 13 points and eight rebounds.