Pike blitzes new look J-Hawks

ROCKFORD - The schedule makers didn't do new Jefferson basketball coach John Rossato any favors.

The J-Hawks won a school-record 27 games in 2017-2018, but only one player who saw significant minutes is back for 2018-2019. Jefferson opened its season Tuesday night against perennial Indiana power Indianapolis Pike, which was coming off a disappointing loss to East on Monday night.

Pike blitzed Jefferson from the start, running up 51 points in the first half. The Red Devils survived a third-quarter spurt by Jefferson and then ran away for an 89-53 win.

Ten Red Devils scored, led by Jasen Graves' 17 points off the bench. Ahmoni Jones added 15, LaJuan Whitney 12 and Davion Bailey 10.

Jefferson got 13 points from Latrell Graham, 12 from George Williams, the only returning starter, and 10 from Lajuan Morris. Morris and Williams are juniors and Graham is a sophomore.

The J-Hawks trailed 51-29 at halftime but cut the lead to 53-45 with four minutes left in the third quarter. A 3-point play by Pike's Chris Robinson halted the run and the Red Devils rolled from there. 

The J-Hawks play again Wednesday against Hollywood (Fla.) McArthur at Jefferson at 10 a.m. Pike (1-1) takes on Auburn at Auburn also at 10 a.m.

BOXSCORE

Indianapolis Pike 89, Rockford Jefferson 53

Pike .......29 22 15 23 - 89
Jefferson ..16 13 16 8 - 53

PIKE - White 3 1-1 8, Johnson 3 0-0 6, Bailey 4 0-0 10, Whitney 4 1-1 12, Jones 7 1-2 15, Robinson 3 3-3 9, Graves 4 1-2 17, Love 1 0-0 2, Yarbro 3 0-0 6, J. Johnson 2 0-2 4. Totals 36 7-11 89.
JEFFERSON - Graham 6 1-1 13, Williams 5 0-1 12, Henigan 1 1-2 3, Dez. Jordan 1 1-2 3, Dem. Jordan 1 0-1 2, Morris 3 3-5 10, Massey 2 0-0 5, Q. Robinson 1 0-0 2, Bankole 1 1-1 3. Totals 21 7-13 53.
3-pt FG: Pike 10 (Graves 4, Whitney 3, Bailey 2, White), Jefferson 4 (Williams 2, Morris, Massey).

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Parker's 31 leads East over Pike

ROCKFORD - Sincere Parker scored 31 points - 10 in a pivotal second quarter - to lead East to a 76-66 victory over the Pike Red Devils of Indianapolis Monday night.

East led 18-14 after one quarter and out-scored Pike 26-11 in the second for a 44-25 halftime lead at East High School. Pike eventually closed that gap to seven points (70-63) with 1:13 to play, but two free throws by Chris Burnell, a layup by Delvonte Leflore and two free throws by Sha’den Clanton kept the E-Rays safely ahead.

Clanton added 13 points and Burnell 12 to East’s total. Jasen Graves led Pike with 17 points, 15 coming on three-pointers. Ahmoni Jones had 16 and Davion Bailey 12 for the Red Devils.

Parker's explosion marked just the fourth time in the five-year history that a player topped 30 points. Terry Ford holds the record with 32 points, getting that for Jefferson in last year's Classic.

BOXSCORE

Rockford East 76, Indianapolis Pike 66

Pike .... 14  11  17  24  -  66
East .... 18  26  10  22  -  76

PIKE - White 3 2-2 9, Bailey 5 0-0 12, Whitney 2 0-0 6, Jones 6 2-2 16, Saunders 0 0-2 0, Robinson 1 1-2 3, Graves 6 0-1 17, Pearon 1 0-0 3. Totals 24 5-9 66.
EAST - Burnell 4 2-2 12, Thompson 4 0-0 9, Clanton 4 5-7 13, Dickens 2 0-0 4, Parker 12 3-3 31, Luster 2 0-0 5, Leflore 1 0-0 2. Totals 29 10-12 76.
3-pt FG: Pike 13 (Graves 5, Bailey 2, Whitney 2, Jones 2, White), East 8 (Parker 4, Burnell 2, Thompson, Luster).

Auburn trio leads Knights over North Chicago

ROCKFORD - Auburn's legion of little guys was too much for more heralded and much larger North Chicago as the Knights knocked off the Warhawks, 67-64, at Auburn High School.

The Warhawks finished fourth in the IHSA Class 3A tournament last year and returned three starters all 6-4 or taller.

One of those returners, Raeshaun Samoa, a 6-6 shooting guard, was outstanding. Samoa poured in 25 points to lead all scorers. The next highest scorer, though, was 6-7 forward Ricky Irby with 10 points.

Auburn attacked with more balance. Tyshawn Whitt, a 6-0 senior guard, scored 21 points. Sophomore Joshua Ausler, also a 6-0 guard, added 18 and 5-9 guard Haniefe Johnson added 13.

Auburn got off to a fast start. The Knights led by as many as 10 points in the opening quarter, but the Warhawks rallied to take a 37-31 lead at the half.

Whitt had 10 of his points in the third quarter to bring the Knights to a 49-49 tie after three periods. Ausler then got hot in the fourth, scoring nine of his 18 points to lead Auburn to the win.

Monday's game is the only one North Chicago is playing in the tournament. Auburn plays again Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. against Huntington Beach Marina.

BOXSCORE

Rockford Auburn 67, North Chicago 64

North Chicago ..........16  21  12  15  -  64     
Rockford Auburn .....21  10  18  18  -  67

North Chicago - Rogers 1 0-0 2, Harper 3 0-1 7, Rodriguez 1 2-2 5, Waiters 3 1-2 8, Mays 0 1-5 1, Gilmore 2 0-0 4, Samoa 9 7-8 25, Clinton 1 0-2 2, Irby 5 0-1 10. Totals 25 11-21 64.
Rockford Auburn - Ausler 7 1-3 18, H. Johnson 5 2-3 13, Whitt 7 4-6 21, Davis 4 1-3 9, Williams 0 0-2 0, Walker 1 0-0 2, Chaney 1 2-2 4. Totals 25 10-19 67.
3-pt FG: North Chicago 3 (Harper, Rodriguez, Waiters), Auburn 7 (Ausler 3, Whitt 3, H. Johnson).

Florida team rolls past Freeport

McArthur broke open a tight game in the second half Monday night and rolled over Freeport 69-54 in the opening game of the fifth annual RPS 205 Tip-Off Classic at East High School.

The Mustangs never trailed but after jumping to 8-0 and 12-2 leads, held only a 31-28 advantage early in the third quarter. Then, the Hollywood, Florida school went on a 21-9 run which left them ahead 52-37 entering the fourth quarter.

Jordan Howard, a 6-4 junior, led McArthur with 14 points, Rahmel Davis, a 6-4 senior, added 12, and Dominic Shaw, a 6-2 junior, chipped in 10. Nine players scored for the Mustangs.

Deron Lacey, a 5-8 junior, was the only Freeport player in double figures. He had 15 points. Eleven players scored for the Pretzels.

BOXSCORE

Hollywood McArthur 69, Freeport 54

Freeport               10  14  13  17 -- 54

McArthur              16  14  22  15 -- 69

Freeport -- O'Bryant 2 2-5 6, Lacey 5 4-4 15, Burns 3 0-2 6, Wade 2 0-2 4, Stewart 0 4-6 4, Simmons 0 2-2 2, Hail 2 0-0 5, Cooley 1 0-0 2, Katzenberger 0 3-4 3, Collier 2 0-0 4, Edgeston 1 1-2 3, Totals 18 16-27 54.

McArthur -- Howard 7 0-0 14, Ward 4 3-4 11, Davis 6 0-1 12, Shaw 4 1-4 10, Williams 1 0-0 3, Garcia 4 0-0 8, Pack 3 0-0 7, Lindsey 0 1-2 1, Totals 30 6-13 69.

3pt FG -- Freeport 2 (Lacey, Hail); McArthur 3 (Shaw, Williams, Pack).

WIFR livestreaming three Tip-Off Classic games this week

WIFR TV 23 will be livestreaming three games 205 Tip-Off Classic games this week as part of its partnership with Rockford Public Schools.

Andy Gannon will be at Auburn High School tonight for the 7 p.m. showdown between the Knights and North Chicago, which has three starters back from last year's team that finished fourth in the IHSA Class 3A tournament.

Tuesday, Gannon and his crew will be at Jefferson High School for the J-Hawks' opening game at 7 p.m. against Indiana power Indianapolis Pike.

Friday, Gannon will be at East High School for the 7 p.m. contest between the E-Rabs and Elgin Larkin.

To watch the games, go to www.wifr.com/sports/statelineslam.

Youth hoops program jumps in as Gold Sponsor

The 205 Tip-Off Classic added its third Gold Sponsor - to go with Platinum Sponsor Fred VanVleet - for the basketball extravaganza that is now less than a week away.

The Midwest Wildcats Basketball program serves more than 1,500 players from Illinois, Wisconsin and Northeast Iowa. The Wildcats have teams for players from second grade through 12th.

The program, run by Chuck Lynde, has been in existence for more than 15 years. Players such as Halle Stull and Kayla Steward (Eastern Illinois University) and McKaela Schmelzer and Anaiah Moore (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) sharpened their skills in the Wildcats program.

Wildcats Basketball joins Associated Bank and the 1955 and 1956 West Warriors state champion basketball teams as Gold Sponsors.

To learn more about the program, go to rockfordbasketball.org.

Former Tip-Off stars excelling in college

The 205 Tip-Off Classic is entering its fifth season and the roster of players who have gone on from the Classic to major college basketball continues to grow.

This year, there are at least 12 players on NCAA Division 1 or Division II rosters. Here's a look:

Tajuan Agee, Chicago Hyde Park, Iona College
Agee was First-Team All-Classic in 2015
This is Agee's first season with the Gaels. He's a junior.

Ralph Bissainthe, Hollywood McArthur, Illinois-Chicago
Bissainthe was First-Team All-Classic in 2016
Bissainthe red-shirted last season for the Flames. He remains a freshman.

Xavier Castaneda, Chicago Whitney Young, South Florida

Castaneda was the starting shooting guard for Whitney Young's 2017 Classic champions

Castaneda is a freshman.

Delundre Dixon, Rockford Auburn, Chicago State

Dixon was Second-Team All-Classic in 2014

Dixon is a red-shirt junior for CSU after sitting out last season. He averaged 2.2 points in 25 games as a freshman in 2015-2016 and 4.6 points in 25 games - with 12 starts - in 2016-2017.

Antoine Pittman, Bradley

Javon Freeman, Chicago Whitney Young, Valparaiso

Freeman was First-Team All-Classic in 2017.

Freeman is a freshman.

Anthony Lynch, Elgin Larkin, Lewis University (Division II)

Lynch was Second-Team All-Classic in 2016 and 2017.

Lynch is a freshman.

Yahmir Muhammad, Rockford Auburn, Missouri S&T (Division II)

Muhammad was First-Team All-Classic in 2017.

Muhammad is a freshman.

Christian Negron, Elgin Larkin, Loyola

Negron was Second-Team All-Classic in 2014 and First-Team All-Classic in 2015.

Negron red-shirted last season, recovering from an ACL injury his senior year at Larkin. He remains a freshman.

Antoine Pittman, Rockford Auburn, Bradley

Tahjai Teague, Ball State

Pittman was First-Team All-Classic in 2014.

Pittman red-shirted last season for the Braves. He remains a junior. Pittman averaged 8.2 points per game as a freshman with 26 starts. He averaged 5.6 points as a sophomore with 19 starts.

Dulan Scott, Chicago Farragut, Missouri S&T (Division II)

Scott was First-Team All-Classic in 2015. Scott averaged 7.1 points per game as a freshman and lifted that to 10.0 points per game as a sophomore. He is a junior.

Tahjai Teague, Indianapolis Pike, Ball State

Teague was Second-Team All-Classic in 2014.

Teague red-shirted his freshman year at Ball State. He averaged 7.3 points and 5.8 rebounds in 2016-2017 and upped that to 12.1 points and 7.5 rebounds in 2017-2018.

Justin Thomas, Indianapolis Pike, Morehead State

Thomas was First-Team All-Classic in 2014.

Thomas sat out last season after transferring from Northern Illinois. He averaged 4.0 points and 1.7 for the Huskies in 2015-2016 and 6.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 2016-2017.