Breaking down the high school basketball holiday tournament performances

With two weeks of holiday tournament play in the books, here is a look back at what transpired across the state.

Best team: Benet

Winning the premier holiday tournament in Illinois and taking down the state’s No. 1 team along the way was the most impressive team performance over the holidays. With its performance at Pontiac, Benet confirmed what everyone believed. The Redwings can certainly repeat as Class 4A champs in March.

Best individual performance: Jaxson Davis

This one was a no-doubter. The state’s best player performed like it. The Warren star went off for 51 points in a title game romp over Kenwood at the Big Dipper Holiday Tournament. Davis averaged 31 points a game in the four tournament wins.

Biggest statement: Catholic League Blue

While St. Ignatius and St. Laurence both won holiday tournament titles, Brother Rice, Mount Carmel and DePaul joined them in reaching holiday tournament championship games. No league comes close to the statement this league made over the holidays.

When you consider that next year the Catholic League will be adding Benet, Marist and St. Patrick, who all played in title games as well over the holidays, this league is just getting bigger and stronger in basketball.

Biggest surprise: Mount Carmel

There weren’t a whole lot of big surprises over the holidays. However, a youthful Mount Carmel team reaching the final at the 60th annual Pekin Holiday Tournament was likely the biggest.

The Caravan were not among the top four tournament seeds, yet won three games and reached the championship before falling to Peoria Richwoods.

Junior Logan Wessell was an all-tournament selection, while freshmen DK Heard and Ronald Johnson continue to get more acclimated and impactful. Heard averaged 12 points and 7.2 rebounds a game at Pekin.

Biggest upset and best finish: Morgan Park over Oswego East

Morgan Park beating Waubonsie Valley in the opening round at Hinsdale Central was a mild surprise. But taking down a ranked Oswego East, led by DePaul recruit Mason Lockett, in the second round proved to be the most significant upset over the holidays.

Lockett put Oswego East up 56-54 on a layup with nine seconds to play. But Jacque Lewis buried a three-pointer to win it for the Mustangs just before the buzzer.

Biggest holiday hurdle cleared: Gene Heidkamp winning at Pontiac

Heidkamp, one of the elite coaches in the state, cleared perhaps his last career coaching hurdle in winning his first Pontiac Holiday Tournament. In what has become an illustrious coaching career, Pontiac had become a bit of a bugaboo for Heidkamp.

Heidkamp’s teams always make deep runs at Pontiac, reaching the semifinals eight different times since 2014. But Heidkamp was 0-5 in Pontiac title games, including the last three years to three different opponents, before beating DePaul Prep to claim the 2025 tournament championship.

Best hospitality: Pontiac

A perennial power in this category every year, Pontiac continues to be pushed by York’s Jack Tosh Holiday Tournament. Both are terrific and make it easy and comfortable for teams, media and fans. But Pontiac continues to set the standard.

Best tournament website: Hinsdale Central

The website’s user-friendly functionality, layout and navigation are second to none. The team information and the up-to-date, accurate stats are a true find for both media and fans.

Best tournament stream: Pontiac

There is a whole lot to like, starting with a reasonable $5 per game price. The camera angle where viewers feel as if they are front and center, right behind the scorer’s table, along with the clearest of pictures, makes this the best in what is a growing number of impressive holiday tournament streams.

Biggest breakout: Bloomington's Dallas Marshall

Bloomington’s trip to Pontiac was quick and pretty uneventful, except for the fact fans were able to lay eyes on one of the best young talents in the state. Pontiac was the first big stage for 6-5 Dallas Marshall, who didn’t disappoint with 38 points and 18 rebounds in two games.

Best consolation performance: York

No one wants to lose that opening game of a holiday tournament and be dumped into the consolation bracket playing multiple morning games, especially if you’re the host. But following an upset loss to Batavia in the first round, York bounced back and made the most of it and played on the tournament’s final day.

Led by junior wing Joseph Lubbe, the Dukes won four straight games in the 32-team Jack Tosh field, including a consolation championship game win over Oswego.

Most overlooked performance: Libertyville's Bryce Wegrzyn

Any time a holiday tournament scoring record is broken, especially in a decades-long running tournament, is worth noting. The spotlight, however, doesn’t always shine the brightest on the Wheeling Hardwood Classic.

But Libertyville’s Bryce Wegrzyn, who is headed to Division II Winona State next year, set a new tournament record with 133 points in four games.