Homewood-Flossmoor coach Jamere Dismukes leaned over to get closer to the phone to ensure the recorder picked up his words loudly and clearly: ‘‘Jayden Tyler should be the Sun-Times Player of the Year.’’
The Vikings had just knocked off DePaul Prep 62-61 on Saturday in When Sides Collide at Benet. Tyler scored 23 points to lead Homewood-Flossmoor. The senior guard has been one of the fun surprises of the season. He has matured into a dominant lead guard.
‘‘It’s the confidence I have in myself now,’’ Tyler said. ‘‘I knew I would have to do it with everyone else leaving. I’m not going to say I’m carrying the team; everyone is pitching in. But I knew I had to bring more this year, especially leadership.’’
The Rams had a chance to win at the buzzer, but Rashaun Porter’s runner rimmed out. Porter, a 6-7 junior, scored 22 points to lead DePaul Prep. It turns out, that was the Vikings’ plan.
‘‘We wanted to give him baskets,’’ Dismukes said. ‘‘We figured he couldn’t beat us by himself, but if the guards got off, we could lose the game. The game plan was to let him keep making twos while we were going down and making twos and threes.’’
A rare week
It was a storybook week for Marist, which knocked off rival Brother Rice in the Battle of Pulaski, then took down undefeated Waubonsie Valley 65-56 at When Sides Collide.
Rokas Zilys led the RedHawks with 25 points against the Warriors, who started the game red-hot behind Illinois State recruit Tyreek Coleman (24 points).
‘‘We had to stick together and trust each other when they came out strong,’’ Marist senior Marquis Vance said. ‘‘Just competing, fighting and not giving up.’’
The RedHawks jumped from No. 21 to No. 10 in the Super 25 after the big victories.
‘‘The last two games were amazing,’’ Vance said. ‘‘I can’t even really describe it. But this is really fun right now.’’
Super 25 updates
Heading into Saturday, there were five contenders to take over the top spot in the Super 25: Bolingbrook, Rich, Brother Rice, Waubonsie Valley and Kenwood. The results at When Sides Collide left only Kenwood standing.
The Broncos’ only loss this season was at Rich in the Big Dipper semifinals, a three-point defeat in a hostile environment. Kenwood has defeated DePaul Prep, Warren, Simeon, Downers Grove South, Lane, New Trier and Curie.
The three teams I’ve seen have truly special stretches of play this season are Bolingbrook, Rich and Kenwood. Of the three, the Broncos have been the most consistent. They will be tested this week with road games at Young and Lincoln Park.
Glenbard West rejoins the Super 25 after knocking off Joliet West, Downers Grove North and Oak Park. Lake Zurich drops out after losing to Carmel.
Super 25 high school basketball rankings for Jan. 25, 2025
With record and last week’s ranking
1. Kenwood (21-1) 3
At Young Tuesday
2. Bolingbrook (21-3) 4
High ceiling, seeking consistency
3. Homewood-Flossmoor (21-2) 6
Beat DePaul Prep
4. DePaul Prep (20-3) 1
Two-loss week
5. Brother Rice (19-3) 11
Beat DePaul, lost to Marist
6. Hinsdale Central (21-2) 8
18-game win streak
7. Rich (14-6) 2
Rough weekend
8. Lincoln Park (20-3) 9
Hosts Kenwood Thursday
9. Benet (20-4) 10
Lost to Bolingbrook, beat Rich
10. Marist (21-2) 21
Stephen Brown makes an impact
11. Waubonsie Valley (22-1) 5
Tyreek Coleman is a force
12. Niles North (19-5) 12
Solid win vs. Mt. Zion
13. Fenwick (16-6) 14
Knocked off Rich
14. Mount Carmel (18-4) 7
Lost to Loyola
15. Curie (15-6) 13
Mid-season struggles
16. Waukegan (16-5) 15
Hosts Warren Tuesday
17. Simeon (15-6) 16
Finished 1-1 in Quincy
18. Kankakee (17-3) 17
Hosts Bloom Tuesday
19. St. Laurence (17-5) 18
At Mount Carmel Tuesday
20. Warren (15-6) 19
Healthy again
21. Evanston (18-4) 20
Improving quickly
22. Loyola (17-6) 23
Another tough week ahead
23. Rolling Meadows (19-3) 24
At Prospect Tuesday
24. St. Ignatius (18-4) 25
At De La Salle Friday
25. Glenbard West (17-4) NR
Beat Joliet West