Holiday tournament guide: State Farm Holiday Classic small-school boys

QUINCY — Anyone associated with the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball program understands how on-point a team is going to have to be to win the State Farm Holiday Classic small-school bracket.

The Raiders have seen the top-seeded team at its best.

QND lost to Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 66-42 at the Pit on December 3 as the Cyclones, ranked fourth in Class 2A, showcased the defensive pressure and ability to turn that into scoring opportunities teams with state title aspirations enjoy.

The Cyclones are one of three teams pegged as legitimate contenders this week in Bloomington-Normal. Second-seeded St. Joseph-Ogden is 9-0 with 6-foot-6 NCAA Division I recruit Ty Pence, while El Paso-Gridley brings a 9 -1 record to the holidays.

The Raiders, meanwhile, sit at 5-4 and hope the return trip to the Classic allows them to build some chemistry and form an identity.

“We have to worry about us right now,” QND coach Kevin Meyer said. “The field is loaded and you’re going to have to beat someone really good to advance. The way we do that is concentrate on what we do well, what we need to do better and make sure we’re playing as a team.

“This trip and this tournament is about us coming together and finding our stride.”

Here’s a team-by-team look at the field:

Sacred Heart-Griffin (10-2) — The top-seeded team in the field has won 10 games in a row since opening the season with back-to-back losses to Champaign Centennial and Belleville West — both Class 4A programs. Junior guard Jake Hamilton leads the Cyclones with 16.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, while junior forward Zach Hawkinson averages 15.4 points and 7.0 rebounds.

Calvary Christian (5-4) — The Knights, who are based in Normal, are replacing Minonk Fieldcrest in the field and fill the slot for the No. 16 seed. 

Bishop McNamara (8-2) — The Fightin’ Irish have been defensive dynamos, allowing just 40 points per game and outscoring their opponents by 18 points per game. They have won four in a row, holding two of those opponents to less than 30 points.

Winnebago (3-3) — The Indians are 2-0 in the Big Northern Conference, having won both games by 17 points or more. Senior guard Carl Firch is averaging in double figures and has the ability to score inside and out.

Aurora Christian (7-1) — The Eagles have won four in a row and are averaging 65.8 points per game. Senior shooting guard Drew Meyers recorded a triple-double with 23 points, 11 assists and 11 steals in a victory against Newark. He is averaging 22 points per game.

Stanford Olympia (1-7) — The Spartans are allowing 55.4 points per game and have lost six games in a row.

Rockford Lutheran (7-4) — After going 16-0 in the truncated 2021 season, the Crusaders saw leading scorer Mike Jones transfer to Rockford Auburn. They’ve responded well to the change with junior point guard Walt Hill Jr. averaging 16.8 points and 4.8 assists. Lutheran has averaged 71 points in its last four games.

Providence St. Mel (2-7) — The Knights opened December with four consecutive losses to Chicago Catholic League opponents, all of whom are Class 3A and 4A programs. The Knights have been held to 46.1 points per game.

St. Joseph-Ogden (9-0) — Ty Pence, a 6-foot-6, 180-pound junior forward, is being recruited by nearly every Missouri Valley Conference school and recently had Illinois coach Brad Underwood in attendance at a game. He is averaging 25.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Senior forward Evan Ingram, who scored 25 points in a recent victory over Danville, provides the perfect complementary piece to make the Spartans unstoppable.

Downs Tri-Valley (2-4) — The Vikings have lost four of their last five games and are averaging just 42.2 points per game. They’ve scored less than 40 points in each of their losses.

Quincy Notre Dame (5-4) — The Raiders hit a rough patch against top competition, losing back-to-back games to SHG and Monroe City, which was ranked No. 1 in Missouri Class 3 at the time. The hope is junior forward Jake Wallingford and junior point guard Jake Hoyt can ignite a run and send the Raiders into the second half of the season with momentum.

Rock Falls (4-7) — A four-point victory over Newman Central Catholic ended the Rockets’ three-game skid and provided a little holiday momentum. Senior guard Booker Cross and sophomore guard Aydan Goff give the Rockets stability in the backcourt, having combined for 33 points in the most recent victory.

El Paso-Gridley (9-1) — The Titans had their nine-game winning streak snapped with a 66-48 loss to Metamora in the final pre-Christmas game. They are 6-0 at home this season and are outscoring opponents by 23 points per game. Senior guard Asa Smith averages 14.3 points, while 6-foot-6 senior forward Jake Funk is averaging 12.2 points and 11.3 rebounds.

Annawan (3-8) — The Braves have not won away from their home gym this season. They are averaging just 44.6 points per game.

East Dubuque — The Warriors were dynamic defensively in winning four of their first five games, allowing just 31.8 points in that stretch. The frontcourt is their strength with 6-foot-6 forward Zach Friebuerger and 6-4 forward Sam Bowman.

Bloomington Central Catholic (3-7) — The Saints have won three of their last four games after starting the season 0-6. Cole Certa and Anthony Kemp, both sophomores, are intriguing prospects with Certa enjoying a 36-point effort earlier in December against Decatur St. Teresa.