Boys Holiday Hoops: Guards pace New Trier to 3-1 result in Pontiac, Loyola places in Florida, Highland Park’s Moschin goes off at Tosh

New Trier’s experienced backcourt helped the Trevians overcome a shorthanded lineup at the 93rd Pontiac Holiday Tournament Dec. 26-28.

Junior Chris Kirkpatrick averaged 17.3 points per game and senior Colby Smith 16.5 as both earned All-Tournament honors — Kirkpatrick on the second team and Smith honorable mention — after leading New Trier to a 3-1 record and fifth-place finish.

The Trevians were missing junior starters Maks DePalo and Max Vogel for a majority of the tournament, giving them a size disadvantage throughout.

Nonetheless, New Trier opened with a 64-47 victory against St. Charles North on Dec. 26. Smith led the way with 17 points, while Kirkpatrick added 12 with 8 rebounds and 6 assists.

Despite 17 apiece from Smith and Kirkpatrick, the Trevs then fell 54-52 to Curie in the second round. The Trevians had a four-point advantage on the Condors late, but could not hang on to advance to the semifinal round.

New Trier responded with a 55-38 victory against Joliet West on Saturday, Dec. 28, as Kirkpatrick (21 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) and Smith (20 points) again led the way.

In a fifth-place showdown with Bloom on Dec. 28, Kirkpatrick shot 8 of 11 from the field for 19 points in his team’s 46-41 victory.

The Trevians placed third at Pontiac in 2023, sixth in 2022 and third in 2021.

New Trier returns to local action on Jan. 10 with a home matchup against Glenbrook South.

Ramblers nab 3rd at Hoopfest in Florida

Loyola Academy came up short of defending its 2023 title at the Holiday Hoopfest but came close, placing for a third consecutive season.

With a 56-38 win against Barron Collier on Monday, Dec. 30, the Ramblers earned a third-place finish.

Junior guard Trey Williams was named to the All-Tournament team for Loyola, who finished 3-1 during the holiday tournament played at Bishop Verot Catholic High School in Fort Myers, Florida.

Loyola bested Golden Gate (52-23; Brendan Loftus: 10 points, 10 rebounds) and Miami St. Brendan (53-41; Trey Williams: 14 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists. Luke Alvarez: 15 points) in the first two rounds of the tournament on Dec. 27-28. The Ramblers then dropped their semifinal matchup 48-40 against Cardinal Gibbons, the eventual tournament champ. Williams recorded 13 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.

In the finale, Gunnar Worth scored 12 points and Loftus 11 to lead the Ramblers past Barron Collier as they claimed third place.

With the 3-1 road trip, Loyola moves to 12-4 on the season and returns home to play Downers Grove South on Jan. 7 and top-ranked DePaul College Prep on Jan. 10.

Moschin’s 29 helps Highland Park end Tosh on high note

Simon Moschin continued his remarkable season with a 29-point showing in Highland Park’s final game of the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic on Monday, Dec. 30.

Moschin’s performance guided the Giants past York 61-59 in overtime. Alex Kriser chipped in 13 points and Brett Karman 9 for Highland Park.

Highland Park finished 2-2 in the tournament, taking losses to Conant (33-30) and Glenbard West (61-28) while besting Andrew (53-49). Kriser scored 15 points on five three-pointers in the Giants’ win against Andrew.

During the tournament’s opener, Moschin scored 16 points to eclipse the 1,000-point mark for his career. He became the 10th Giant to reach that feat.

Highland Park moves to 9-5 and has a conference matchup on Jan. 7 at Niles West.

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