East beats Douglass on late layup

Antonio Lewis' layup with 1.2 seconds to play listed East’s E-Rabs to a 71-70 victory over Frederick Douglass in the opener of a Tip-off Classic triple header at Auburn Wednesday.

Taquez Butler hit one of two free throws with 37.1 seconds left to put Douglass ahead 70-69 and Samules missed a shot with 20 seconds remaining. A Douglass turnover gave East another shot and Lewis hit the clincher.

Douglass called three consecutive timeouts to set up a final play, but East’s defense resulted in a short throw-in pass and a long heave from the backcourt.

The lead changed seven times and the score was tied six times in the tight contest. East led for much of the first half, but Douglass closed the gap in the second half and held a five-point lead early in the fourth quarter.

Butler led all scorers with 21 points. Tyler Johnson chipped in 17 points for the Red Devils.

Samules and Antonio Lewis shared scoring honors for East with 19 points apiece. Sterling Hoarde added 17 points for the E-Rabs who had only five players score.

BOXSCORE

Rockford East 71, Memphis Douglass 70

East .......... 17 19 21 14 - 71
Douglass... 14 18 20 18 - 70

EAST - Lewis 7 4-7 19, Samules 7 2-3 19, Barry-Sneed 4 3-3 11, S. Hoarde 6 5-8 17, Harris 2 1-1 5. Totals 26 15-22 71.
DOUGLASS - D. Johnson 0 1-6 1, Butler 6 8-10 21, T. Johnson 7 3-4 17, Chandler 2 0-0 4, Thompson 2 2-2 6, Powell 4 0-0 9, Brittman 5 0-0 10, Bond 1 0-0 2. Totals 27 14-22 70.
3-pointers: East 4 (Samules 3, Lewis), Douglass 2 (Butler, Powell).

Memphis school wears down Guilford

Frederick Douglass of Memphis, Tennessee maintained its hurry-up style of play Tuesday night, but the results were much better for the Red Devils.

After suffering a 96-84 loss to Auburn on Monday night, Douglass rebounded for a 71-53 win over Guilford on Tuesday.

After a seesaw first half which saw the score tied twice and the lead change eight times, Douglass pulled away for a 41-35 halftime lead. The Red Devils built the lead to 51-35 halfway through the third quarter before Guilford put together a brief rally to cut the deficit to 51-48 after three quarters.

The fourth quarter was all Douglass.

Douglass, which only made one three-point basket all night, was led in scoring by Jarmon Brittman with 21 points. Taqueria Butler added 19. Cinco Gary led Guilford with 19 points. Mekhi Doby, who was a first team all-NIC-10 player as a junior, only played in the first quarter and didn't score.

BOXSCORE

Memphis Douglass 71, Rockford Guilford 53

Douglass .... 20  21  10  20 - 71
Guilford ..... 12  23  13   5  - 53

DOUGLASS - D. Johnson 2 4-6 8, Butler 8 3-7 19, T. Johnson 3 2-5 8, Chandler 2 0-0 4, Thompson 4 0-1 8, Powell 1 0-0 3, Brittman 10 1-3 21. 30 10-22 71.
GUILFORD - Goldsmith 0 1-3 1, Doyle 1 0-0 2, Jordan 2 2-2 7, Mangruem 1 0-0 3, M. Johnson 3 2-4 10, Jalil 3 0-1 6, Gary 9 1-2 19, Webster 1 0-0 3, Frye 1 0-1 2. Totals 21 6-13 53.
3-pointers: Douglass 1 (Powell), Guilford 5 (Johnson 2, Jordan, Mangruem, Webster).

Whitney Young too much for East

Talented Whitney Young of Chicago took full advantage of mistake-prone East and rolled to an 85-43 victory at Guilford High School Tuesday night.

The outcome was never in doubt after the Dolphins sprinted to a 22-11 first quarter lead. The Chicago powerhouse expanded the margin to 46-25 at halftime and 71-38 after three quarters. The fourth quarter was played with a running clock.

Dan Johnson scored 18 points to lead Whitney Young. Antonio Munoz added 12 for the Dolphins. Antonio Lewis scored 18 points to lead the overmatched E-Rabs. East played without Matthew Hoarde, who was first-team All-NIC-10 last season. Hoarde is out with a wrist injury.

BOXSCORE

Chicago Whitney Young 85, Rockford East 43

Whitney Young ... 22  24  25  14 - 85
Rockford East ..... 11  14  13    5 - 43

WHITNEY YOUNG - Clark 3 2-2 8, D. Davis 4 0-0 10, Pigram 5 0-0 11, Faulkner 0 0-2 0, Pruitt 1 2-2 5, Johnson 7 2-2 18, Munoz 6 0-0 12, Brown 3 1-2 7, Davis 2 0-0 4, Chadwick 1 0-0 3, Richardson 3 0-0 7. Totals 35 7-10 85.
ROCKFORD EAST - Lewis 4 8-9 18, Samules 4 0-1 8, Curtis-Morris 1 1-3 4, S. Hoarde 2 0-0 6, Harris 3 1-2 7. Totals 14 10-15 43.
3-pointers: Whitney Young 8 (D. Davis 2, Pigram, Pruitt, Johnson 2, Chadwick, Richardson), East 5 (Lewis 2, Curtis-Morris, S. Hoarde 2).

Day Two!

Chicago Whitney Young, Rockford East and Rockford Guilford open their seasons tonight as the 205 Tip-Off Classic shifts to Guilford High School.

Whitney Young is a nationally-known high school basketball power and at least seven of its players are ranked among the top 200 in Illinois recruiting rankings.

The updated schedule for the entire tournament is below. Wednesday's games at Auburn have been moved up to allow for more travel time home for the out of town teams.

 

205 Tip-Off Classic Schedule
Tuesday, Nov. 22, at Guilford High School
6 p.m.	Chicago Whitney Young vs. Rockford East
7:30 p.m.	Rockford Guilford vs. Memphis Douglass
Wednesday, Nov. 23, at Auburn High School
10 a.m.	Memphis Douglass vs. Rockford East
11:30 a.m.	Rockford Auburn vs. Chicago Whitney Young
1 p.m.	Rockford Guilford vs. Elgin Larkin
Friday, Nov. 26, at Guilford High School
9:30 a.m.	Rockford Jefferson vs. Chicago Perspectives
11 a.m.	Elgin Larkin vs. Rockford East
12:30 p.m.	Chicago Bogan vs. Rockford Guilford
2 p.m.	Chicago Perspectives vs. Machesney Park Harlem
3:30 p.m.	East St. Louis vs. Rockford Jefferson
5 p.m.	Rockford East vs. Chicago Bogan
6:30 p.m.	Machesney Park Harlem vs. Chicago Clark
8 p.m.	Rockford Guilford vs. East St. Louis
Saturday, Nov. 26, at Auburn High School
10 a.m.	Chicago Bogan vs. Rockford Jefferson
11:30 a.m.	East St. Louis vs. Rockford Auburn
1 p.m.	Rockford Guilford vs. Chicago Perspectives
2:30 p.m.	Rockford Jefferson vs. Chicago Clark
4 p.m.	Rockford East vs. East St. Louis
5:30 p.m.	Machesney Park Harlem vs. Chicago Bogan
7 p.m.	Rockford Auburn vs. Elgin Larkin

Balanced Knights too fast for Memphis Douglass

Six players scored in double figures as Auburn opened its season with a 96-84 statement victory over highly regarded Frederick Douglass of Memphis, Tennessee, in the nightcap of the opening night doubleheader.

Auburn, which is coming off a 26-6 season, outscored the Red Devils 22-14 in the second quarter of the fast -paced game to take a 48-37 halftime lead and was never severely threatened the rest of the way.

The athletic, helter skelter Red Devils, who went 22-5 last year, did manage to get within nine points in the final minutes but no closer.

Amir Danforth and Terry Horton led Auburn with 18 points each. Tyler Johnson led Douglas with 22 points. The 96 points by the Knights ties the second most ever scored in a 205 Tip-Off Classic game. Indianapolis Pike scored 98 points against East back in 2014.

Herman Powell had 21 for the Red Devils.

The bigger Red Devils dominated the offensive boards and actually scored more field goals than Auburn. The Knights, though, played six guards and two forwards and killed Douglass at the free-throw line. Auburn made 32-of-40 from the charity stripe.

BOXSCORE 

Rockford Auburn 96, Memphis Douglass 84

Douglass ..... 23 14 24 23 - 84
Auburn ....... 26 22 25 23 - 96

DOUGLASS - D. Johnson 5 0-0 10, Butler 3 0-0 7, T. Johnson 7 7-11 22, Chandler 2 0-0 6, Thompson 1 0-0 2, Powell 8 3-8 21, Britman 3 4-7 10, Holly 1 0-0 2, Bond 1 2-2 4. Totals 31 16-28 84.
AUBURN - Agee 4 3-4 13, Chaney 3 8-8 14, Parker 4 2-2 12, Black 2 1-2 5, Horton 2 13-16 18, Horton-Lee 4 4-4 13, Miller 1 1-4 3, Danforth 7 0-0 18. Totals 27 32-40 96.
3-pointers: Douglass 6 (Powell 2, Chandler 2, Butler, T. Johnson), Auburn 10 (Danforth 4, Agee 2, Parker 2, Horton, Horton-Lee.

Larkin holds off furious Harlem comeback

Elgin Larkin, appearing in its eighth straight Tip-off Classic, held off a furious Harlem rally in the fourth quarter of the tournament’s opening game for a 64-60 victory.

Harlem trailed 51-33 entering the final eight minutes but closed the margin with five 3-point baskets and taking advantage of several Larkin turnovers.

The Huskies cut the deficit single digits on Mason Walsh’s three-pointer at 56-48. Caden Cline made one of two free throws and Boris Jancic dropped in a two-pointer to make it 56-51 with 2:15 to play.

With the score 59-54, Harlem missed an opportunity for a further cut with a turnover and then missed two shots and a free throw at the 26-second mark.

Walsh scored 10 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 16. Nate Dunbar, with 11 in the rally, had 13 for the Huskies. Bo Beehler led Harlem with 20.

Armani Ivy led Larkin with 27 points. Darnell Wilder added 18 for the Royals, including the game-clinching free throw with 3.6 seconds to play.

BOXSCORE

Elgin Larkin 64, Machesney Park Harlem 60

Harlem .....  9 12 12 27 - 60
Larkin ...... 14 24 13 13 - 64

HARLEM - Beehler 6 4-6 20, Cline 3 1-3 7, Koerner 2 0-1 5, Dunbar 1 0-0 3, Winters 0 2-5 2, Walsh 4 6-7 16, Phillips 1 1-2 3. Totals 19 14-24 60.
LARKIN - Rodgers-Sowers 3 1-1 7, Colen-York 3 3-3 9, Wilder 4 7-12 18, Ivy 9 5-7 27, Casebeer 1 1-1 3. Totals 20 17-24 64.
3-pointers: Harlem 8 (Beehler 4, Walsh 2, Koerner, Dunbar); Larkin 7 (Ivy 4, Wilder 3).

Opening night!

Monday night is the opening for the 205 Tip-Off Classic and it'll be the season-opener for three of the four teams playing on the first night's two contests at Auburn High School.

Elgin Larkin, which has played in every Tip-Off Classic, opens the night at 6 p.m. against the Harlem Huskies from Machesney Park. 

Larkin was 31-4 last season and finished a step away from the IHSA State Tournament. The Royals, though, graduated Demari Wheeler-Thomas, who is playing for NCAA Division 1 North Dakota State this year. 

Jacob Blakely will be the next big thing for Larkin. The junior guard scored 65 points in five games as a sophomore in last year's Tip-Off Classic. Unfortunately, Blakely will be out until January with a knee injury so Larkin is a bit of a wild card.

Harlem is one of only three teams in this year's Classic coming off a losing season. The Huskies went 10-21 last year, but the Huskies return DeAndre Young and Dane Dailing, two of its three top scorers last season.

Auburn was 26-6 last year, winning the NIC-10 and the eighth regional title in coach Bryan Ott's 23 years at the school. The Knights seemed set to have a similar season, but Auburn will have to adjust its attack after 6-6 junior center Mike Jones transferred to a Chicago-area basketball college prep program.

Frederick Douglass is making its first trip to Rockford and is the only school Monday to have a game under its belt. On Nov. 15, Douglas beat Memphis Academy of Science and Engineering, 68-53. The Red Devils are coming off a 22-5 season and return three of its top four scorers from last year.

205 Tip-Off Classic Schedule
Monday, Nov. 21, at Auburn High School
6 p.m.	Elgin Larkin vs. Machesney Park Harlem
7:30 p.m.	Memphis (Ten.) Douglas vs. Rockford Auburn