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2025 HINSDALE CENTRAL HOLIDAY CLASSIC FIRST ROUND GAME NOTES
GAME 1 – ST. LAURENCE vs. WHEATON ACADEMY, 9:30 a.m.
The Vikings will be making their first appearance at the Hinsdale Central
Holiday Classic and have compiled a 52-17 record the last two seasons. St.
Laurence Coach Roshawn Russell coached in the HC Holiday Classic for two
years as head coach of Saint Rita, where the Mustangs took fifth place in
2021. St. Laurence won the inaugural Harvest Havoc at Hancock in November.
Wheaton Academy made their HC Squared tournament debut last year. The game
will feature two of the state’s top prospects in the Class of 2027 in St.
Laurence’s Markese Peoples and Wheaton’s Hayden Schroeder, who scored 41
points in the consolation quarterfinal round in last year’s HCHC.
GAME 2 – SCHAUMBURG vs. BURLINGTON CENTRAL, 11:00 a.m.
Schaumburg is making their third appearance at the Hinsdale Central Holiday
Classic. The Saxons won the St. Charles East Ron Johnson Thanksgiving
Tournament this season. Burlington Central took sixth place at the 2024 HC
Holiday Classic, in their HC Squared tournament debut. All four of the
Rockets games last year at HCHC were decided by five points or less. The
Rockets have had nine straight twenty-win seasons, except for the 2021 Covid-shortened
year, when they went 16-1.
GAME 3 – NILES NORTH vs. LINCOLN-WAY EAST, 12:30 p.m.
Niles North placed third in last year’s Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic.
Excluding the 2021 Covid-shortened season, the Vikings have won twenty or
more games in 13 of the last 14 seasons under Coach Glenn Olson. Niles
finished second in the Lane Tech Battle of the Bridge Tournament during
Thanksgiving week. The Griffins of Lincoln-Way East are making their first
showing at Hinsdale Central. Former UIC head coach Luke Yaklich is in his
first year at the school.
GAME 4 – PLAINFIELD EAST vs. ROCKFORD AUBURN vs. 2:00 p.m.
Plainfield East is making their third appearance at the Hinsdale Central
Holiday Classic. 6-7 KJ Miller is listed among the top players of the Class
of 2027. Rockford Auburn has played at the HCHC every year since its
inception in 2015. The Knights finished in sixth place in 2015, were the
consolation champions in 2021, and finished in fifth place in 2023. Senior
Amir Danforth has scored 222 points in his three years at HC Squared and
ranks as the event’s number two scorer in tournament history.
GAME 5 – BROTHER RICE vs. LANE TECH, 3:45 p.m.
Brother Rice, who has compiled a 92-16 record for the past three seasons,
has reached the HCHC Final Four in both their year’s they have played on the
Hinsdale hardwood, placing fourth in 2023 and second in 2024. Rick Romelli,
who coached in the HC Holiday Classic at Marian Catholic in 2022 and 2023,
is the new head coach at Rice. The Crusaders defeated the Champions in last
year’s HCHC semifinals by three points. Lane Tech took fourth place at last
year’s HC Holiday Classic in only their second year at the event. The
Champions are coming off back-to-back twenty-win seasons. Returning starter
6’8” Matt Szafoni is committed to Illinois State.
GAME 6 – MAINE SOUTH vs. HINSDALE CENTRAL, 5:15 p.m.
Two charter members of the tournament will face off for only the third time
in tournament history. The Hawks have played in every Hinsdale Central
Holiday Classic except for 2020 when the event was not contested and in 2021
when they could not field a team due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Maine South
has captured four trophies in their tournament history, placing third in
2015; fifth in 2017 and 2024; and winning the Consolation Championship in
2022. The Red Devils are the tournament defending champ and have the most
wins (22) of any team to play at HC Squared. Red Devil head coach Nick
Latorre is the only coach to win two HC Holiday Classic championships (2022
and 2024).
GAME 7 – OSWEGO EAST vs. ST. CHARLES EAST, 7:00 p.m.
The two schools will be making their collective seventeenth appearance since
the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic began in 2015. St. Charles East was an
original member, and Oswego East has participated since 2018. The Wolfpack
have won a trophy every year they have played at HCHC, making four Final
Fours and finishing second twice. Oswego East won the Hoops 4 Healing
Tournament over Thanksgiving Week. Mason Lockett IV, an All-Tournament Team
selection last year, is committed to DePaul University. St. Charles East
won back-to-back sixth place trophies at the HC Holiday Classic in 2017 and
2018 and will be looking to extend their nine-year streak of winning at
least one game in every HC Squared tournament ever played.
GAME 8 – WAUBONSIE VALLEY vs. MORGAN PARK, 8:30 p.m.
Waubonsie Valley will be making their first appearance at the Hinsdale
Central Holiday Classic. The Warriors, who have compiled a 58-6 win-loss
record the last two years, went 2-1 at last month’s Downers Grove North
Hoopsgiving Tournament. Morgan Park will be making their fourth straight
appearance at the HC Holiday Classic. Matthew Humphrey is the new head
coach for the Mustangs.
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