What’s New

Whooping cranes in Kankakee County. | Bronson Ratcliff

Six whooping cranes in Kankakee County, a note from the late Dan Gapen, a “crazy person” (me) asking ice on the Chain and a sequence of the lunar eclipse are among the notes from around Chicago outdoors.

Notes come from around Chicago outdoors and beyond.

WILD OF THE WEEK

Bronson Ratcliff messaged on last Saturday, “Hey Dale, I had six whooping cranes this afternoon in Kankakee County!” He could only see the colors on the leg bands. He has seen some in Indiana at Kankakee Sands and a single at Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area. “Never saw six though,” he messaged.

WOTW, the celebration of wild stories and photos around Chicago outdoors, runs most weeks in the special two-page outdoors section in the Sun-Times Sports Saturday. To make submissions, email [email protected] or contact me on Facebook (Dale Bowman), Twitter (@BowmanOutside) or Instagram (@BowmanOutside).

WILD TIMES

PHEASANTS FOREVER

Saturday, Dec. 4: Introduction to shotgun shooting, Tallgrass chapter, Palos Sportsman Club, Frankfort, (708) 987-6685

SHOWTIME

Friday, Dec. 3, to Dec. 5: St. Paul Ice Fishing and Winter Sports Show, St. Paul RiverCentre, Minn.,

ILLINOIS PERMITS/SEASONS

Today, Nov. 29: Woodcock season ends

Wednesday, Dec. 1: Final day, applications for first lottery, spring turkey

Thursday, Dec. 2, to Sunday, Dec. 5: Second firearm deer season

DALE’S MAILBAG

“I took moon shots with a wide angle lens every 2 minutes for about an hour before totality. Ended up with a string of pearls!” Dr. Elizabeth Pector,

Dr. Elizabeth Pector
Sequence of the lunar eclipse.

A: I had for glimpses of the lunar eclipse on Nov. 19 driving to hunt deer. But that memory can’t match the photography that Dr. Pector did.

BIG NUMBER

89: Age of Dan Gapen, one the greats in the North American fishing world and a regular of the show circuit around Chicago and elsewhere, who died last Saturday. A memorial is being planned for Mr. Gapen, who told the Monticello Times a year ago, “At 88 years old I’m still hoping to get back out there to our shows. I miss talking tackles with strangers and doing seminars.”

LAST WORD

“You did it. You are the first one, the first crazy person to ask, `How’s the ice.’ You always get one. Someone is gonna crawl out from under a rock. Here’s my answer, `No.’ “

Greg Dickson, proprietor o Triangle Sports and Marine in Antioch, answering my question about the possibility of ice fishing.

Read More

Vaxzevria COVID-19 vaccine, previously COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca, are pictured at the Assad Iben El Fourat school in Oued Ellil, outside Tunis, on Aug.8, 2021. | Hassene Dridi/AP

The word beat out insurrection, infrastructure, perseverance and nomad to win the top honors.

NEW YORK — With an expanded definition to reflect the times, Merriam-Webster has declared an omnipresent truth as its 2021 word of the year: vaccine.

“This was a word that was extremely high in our data every single day in 2021,” Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster’s editor-at-large, told The Associated Press ahead of Monday’s announcement.

“It really represents two different stories. One is the science story, which is this remarkable speed with which the vaccines were developed. But there’s also the debates regarding policy, politics and political affiliation. It’s one word that carries these two huge stories,” he said.

The selection follows “vax” as word of the year from the folks who publish the Oxford English Dictionary. And it comes after Merriam-Webster chose “pandemic” as tops in lookups last year on its online site.

“The pandemic was the gun going off and now we have the aftereffects,” Sokolowski said.

At Merriam-Webster, lookups for “vaccine” increased 601% over 2020, when the first U.S. shot was administered in New York in December after quick development, and months of speculation and discussion over efficacy. The world’s first jab occurred earlier that month in the UK.

Compared to 2019, when there was little urgency or chatter about vaccines, Merriam-Webster logged an increase of 1,048% in lookups this year. Debates over inequitable distribution, vaccine mandates and boosters kept interest high, Sokolowski said. So did vaccine hesitancy and friction over vaccine passports.

The word “vaccine” wasn’t birthed in a day, or due to a single pandemic. The first known use stretches back to 1882 but references pop up earlier related to fluid from cowpox pustules used in inoculations, Sokolowski said. It was borrowed from the New Latin “vaccina,” which goes back to Latin’s feminine “vaccinus,” meaning “of or from a cow.” The Latin for cow is “vacca,” a word that might be akin to the Sanskrit “vasa,” according to Merriam-Webster.

Inoculation, on the other hand, dates to 1714, in one sense referring to the act of injecting an “inoculum.”

Earlier this year, Merriam-Webster added to its online entry for “vaccine” to cover all the talk of mRNA vaccines, or messenger vaccines such as those for COVID-19 developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

While other dictionary companies choose words of the year by committee, Merriam-Webster bases its selection on lookup data, paying close attention to spikes and, more recently, year-over-year increases in searches after weeding out evergreens. The company has been declaring a word of the year since 2008. Among its runners-up in the word biography of 2021:

INSURRECTION: Interest was driven by the deadly Jan. 6 siege on the U.S. Capitol. Arrests continue, as do congressional hearings over the attack by supporters of President Donald Trump. Some of Trump’s allies have resisted subpoenas, including Steve Bannon.

Searches for the word increased by 61,000% over 2020, Sokolowksi said.

INFRASTRUCTURE: President Joe Biden was able to deliver what Trump often spoke of but never achieved: A bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law. When Biden proposed help with broadband access, eldercare and preschool, conversation changed from not only roads and bridges but “figurative infrastructure,” Sokolowski said.

“Many people asked, what is infrastructure if it’s not made out of steel or concrete? Infrastructure, in Latin, means underneath the structure,” he said.

PERSEVERANCE: It’s the name of NASA’s latest Mars rover. It landed Feb. 18, 2021. “Perseverance is the most sophisticated rover NASA has ever sent to the Red Planet, with a name that embodies NASA’s passion, and our nation’s capability, to take on and overcome challenges,” the space agency said.

The name was thought up by Alexander Mather, a 14-year-old seventh-grader at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia. He participated in an essay contest organized by NASA. He was one of 28,000 K-12 students to submit entries.

NOMAD: The word had its moment with the 2020 release of the film “Nomadland.” It went on to win three Oscars in April 2021, including best picture, director (Chloe Zhao) and actress (Frances McDormand). Zhao became the first woman of color to win best director.

The AP’s film writer Jake Coyle called the indie success “a plain-spoken meditation on solitude, grief and grit. He wrote that it “struck a chord in a pandemic-ravaged year. It made for an unlikely Oscar champ: A film about people who gravitate to the margins took center stage.”

Other words in Merriam-Webster’s Top 10: Cicada (we had an invasion), guardian (the Cleveland Indians became the Cleveland Guardians), meta (the lofty new name of Facebook’s parent company), cisgender (a gender identity that corresponds to one’s sex assigned at birth), woke (charged with politics and political correctness) and murraya (a tropical tree and the word that won the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee for 14-year-old Zaila Avant-garde).

Read More

Lee Elder waves as he arrives for the ceremonial tee shots before the first round of the Masters golf tournament on Thursday, April 8, 2021, in Augusta, Ga. Elder broke down racial barriers as the first Black golfer to play in the Masters and paved the way for Tiger Woods and others to follow. | Charlie Riedel/AP

This past April, the Masters honored Elder by having him join Jack Nickaus and Gary Player for the ceremonial opening tee shots.

Lee Elder, who broke down racial barriers as the first Black golfer to play in the Masters and paved the way for Tiger Woods and others to follow, has died at the age of 87.

The PGA Tour announced Elder’s death, which was first reported Monday by Debert Cook of African American Golfers Digest. No cause or details were immediately available, but the tour said it confirmed Elder’s death with his family.

A native Texan who developed his game during segregated times while caddying, Elder made history in 1975 at Augusta National, which had been an all-white tournament until he received an invitation after winning the Monsanto Open the previous year.

Elder missed the cut at his first Masters but forever stamped himself as a groundbreaking figure in a sport that had never been known for racial tolerance.

Twenty-two years later, Woods became the first Black golfer to capture the green jacket, launching one of the greatest careers in golf history.

This past April, in the wake of social justice protests that roiled the nation, the Masters honored Elder by having him join Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player for the ceremonial opening tee shots.

Elder was in poor health and unable to take a swing, but he held up his driver proudly at the first tee, clearly moved by the moment.

“For me and my family, I think it was one of the most emotional experiences that I have ever witnessed or been involved in,” he said.

Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters, called Elder “a true pioneer in the game of golf.”

“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Lee Elder,” Ridley said in a statement. “Lee was an inspiration to so many young men and women of color not only through his play, but also through his commitment to education and community. Lee will always be a part of the history of the Masters Tournament. His presence will be sorely missed, but his legacy will continue to be celebrated.”

Elder got into golf as a caddie, since that essentially was the only conduit Black people had to be permitted on the course. He was able to polish his game while serving in the Army and, after his discharge, joined the United Golf Association Tour for Black players in the early 1960s.

He developed into one of the UGA’s best players, but meager prize money made it tough to earn a living. Finally, at the age of 33, Elder was able to afford PGA qualifying school, where he earned his first tour card for the 1968 season.

The highlight of his rookie year was a memorable loss to Nicklaus on the fifth hole of a sudden-death playoff at the American Golf Classic.

Elder would go on to capture four PGA Tour victories and eight more wins on the PGA Tour Champions for 50-and-over players. He played in all four major championships, tying for 11th at both the 1974 PGA Championship and the 1979 U.S. Open. His best finish at the Masters was a tie for 17th, also in 1979.

But Elder’s impact on the game went far beyond wins and losses, even if it took decades for his legacy to be fully appreciated.

“It always amazed me that presidents of the United States would be giving these different awards to athletes for their athletic prowess, and here was a man that … was never given the awards that he actually duly deserved,” Player said.

Elder was 40 when he played in his first Masters, so many of his prime years already stolen from him by the scourge of racism.

The PGA had a Caucasian-only rule until 1961 — 14 years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier. It took another 14 years before the Masters finally invited a Black player.

Last year, before the pandemic-delayed Masters was played in November for the first time, Augusta National recognized Elder’s enormous contributions by setting up two scholarships in his name at Paine College, a historically Black school in Augusta.

The club also invited him to take part in the ceremonial tee shot with Nicklaus and Player at this year’s Masters.

“It’s a great honor, and I cherish it very much, and I will always cherish it,” Elder said.

Nicklaus added, “It was long overdue.”

Elder knew Robinson, who died in 1972, and was close with Hank Aaron, who endured racist threats throughout his stellar baseball career, particularly as he approached what was Babe Ruth’s home run mark.

Aaron hit his record-breaking 715th homer on April 8, 1974.

Twelve days later, Elder won the Monsanto Open to qualify for the following year’s Masters.

Elder visited with Aaron shortly before the Hammer died in January.

“We talked about several things … our sports, our particular sport and the involvement that we felt that we could help other young Blacks that was coming up behind us,” Elder said. “And I certainly hope that the things that I have done have inspired a lot of young Black players and they will continue on with it.”

Elder was at Augusta National for Woods’ historic win in 1997. He wasn’t about to miss seeing a Black man win the tournament for the first time.

After all, it was Elder who paved the way.

Read More

The Loop is Chicago’s fastest-growing neighborhood, Englewood its fastest shrinking. That says a lot about where the city’s headed.Read More

It feels like a decade has gone by since the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs met in the National League Championship series. Since then, each team has gone on to do wildly different things. The Mets won that series but fell in the World Series while the Cubs turned around and won the whole […] Chicago Cubs: This National League rival is really going all in – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & MoreRead More

Two people were killed and 27 others wounded in shootings in Chicago this weekend. | Sun-Times file

The largest concentration of shootings this weekend were split among three police districts on the Southwest, West and Northwest sides.

Three people were killed and 26 others wounded in gun violence across Chicago over the weekend.

The period was less violent than last weekend, when five people were killed and 34 others wounded between 5 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Monday.

The largest concentration of shootings this weekend were split among three police districts on the Southwest, West and Northwest sides. There were four shooting victims each in the 8th District (Chicago Lawn), 15th District (Austin) and 17th District (Albany Park).

Nine people were shot over the weekend on the North or Northwest sides. A string of shootings early Sunday wounded six people in the Near North, Irving Park, Avondale, North Park and Portage Park communities. Two teens were wounded early Monday in a shooting in Ravenswood.

Only two shootings were reported in the 11th District that covers the Garfield Park area, which was the most violent district over the last two previous weekends.

Homicides

Saturday night, a man was found shot to death under a viaduct in Avalon Park on the South Side. Jeremiah McIntosh, 33, was discovered with several gunshot wounds around 7:30 p.m. in the 8100 block of South Anthony Avenue, Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. Police said he had a gunshot wound to his head and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Sunday evening, a man was found shot to death in the South Chicago neighborhood. He was shot multiple times in the back and legs and discovered about 6:30 p.m. in the 8700 block of South Saginaw Avenue, police said. The man, believed to be between 20 and 30 years old, was pronounced dead at the scene.
A third man was fatally shot Friday night in West Pullman on the Far South Side. Devonte D. Patrick, 27, was found in a patch of grass around 10:50 p.m. in the 12400 block of South Parnell Avenue, authorities said. Shot twice in his shoulder, paramedics took him to Christ Medical Center where he was pronounced dead early the next morning. He lived in the Roseland neighborhood.

Nonfatal attacks

A 14-year-old boy was wounded while walking around 12:50 a.m. Monday in the 1800 block of West 46th Street, police said. He was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition with gunshot wounds to his arm and legs.
A 16-year-old boy was shot while he walked into a home to buy drugs 6 p.m. Saturday in the 3300 block of West Beach Avenue, police said. Two males pulled out a gun and shot him in the leg. The boy was in good condition.
About three hours later, a man and woman were shot while walking in the 6900 block of South Campbell Avenue, police said. The woman, 32, was shot in her foot and the 37-year-old man was shot in his chest, arm and leg and critically wounded. The woman was taken to Holy Cross Hospital in good condition.

At least 13 others were wounded by gunfire in Chicago over the weekend.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

Read More

One person died and a child was among three others injured in a fire Monday on the Southwest Side. | Chicago Fire Media

Chicago Fire officials responded to a basement fire about Monday morning in the 5700 block of West 64th Street.

A woman died and three people were injured, including a 7-year-old boy, after a fire broke out in the basement of a home Monday morning in Clearing on the Southwest Side.

The injured people evacuated from the home around 6 a.m. in the 5700 block of West 64th Street, according to the Chicago Fire Department.

Firefighters entered and found a 60-year-old Susan M. Collopy in a bedroom in the rear of the home, fire officials and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

Paramedics took her to Holy Cross Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, Chicago police said. Autopsy results haven’t been released.

A 7-year-old boy was transported in serious condition to Loyola University Medical Center, police said. A 34-year-old woman was in fair condition at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, police said. A 60-year-old man was in good condition at Loyola.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

Read More

St. Anthony Hospital | Google Maps

There have been at least two other shootings outside nearby Stroger and Mount Sinai hospitals in recent months.

No one was hurt after gunfire entered the windows of Saint Anthony Hospital Monday morning on the Lower West Side.

The gunfire came from people shooting from inside cars outside the hospital around 7 a.m. in the 2800 block of West 19th Street, Chicago police said.

Police said there was an altercation and that bullets entered the hospital’s third- and forth-floor windows.

No one was hurt and no arrests were made, police said.

Saint Anthony Hospital President Guy A. Medaglia said the shooting happened in Douglass Park, across the street from the hospital.

“It is unfortunate that this level of violence in the city continues, affecting so many neighborhoods citywide,” Medaglia said in a statement.

There have been at least two other shootings outside nearby Stroger and Mount Sinai hospitals in recent months.

In late September, a paramedic was grazed by a bullet while working on a gunshot victim in the emergency department at Stroger Hospital.

In July, bullets entered the windows of Mount Sinai Hospital after a gunman opened fire outside. No one was injured.

Read More

Loyola players reacts during the game against New Trier. | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

The full schedule for this week.

Send updates and corrections to [email protected] or to twitter @hsbballjg.

Monday, November 29, 2021

CHICAGO PREP

Rochelle Zell at Ellison, 7:30

INDEPENDENT SCHOOL

North Shore at Lake Forest Acad-Blk, 6:00

METRO PREP

CPSA at Chesterton Holy Family, 6:30

Horizon-McKinley at Hinsdale Adventist, 6:30

NON CONFERENCE

Antioch at Woodstock North, 7:00

Bolingbrook at St. Charles North, 7:15

Catalyst-Maria at EPIC, 5:00

Christian Heritage at Ida Crown, 7:45

Elgin at Addison Trail, 7:00

Harlan at Hirsch, 5:00

Hoffman Estates at Schaumburg Christian, 6:00

Holy Trinity at Steinmetz, 5:00

Intrinsic-Downtown at Chicago Academy, 5:00

Marine at Pritzker, 6:00

Morgan Park at Fenwick, 7:00

Noble Academy at ITW-Speer, 7:00

Northtown at Northside, 6:30

Universal at Morgan Park Academy, 6:00

Wells at Ogden, 5:00

Westinghouse at Muchin, 7:00

Woodstock North at Antioch, 7:00

AURORA CHRISTIAN

IMSA vs. Crossroads, 6:00

Harvest Christian vs. Aurora Christian, 7:30

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

LAKE SHORE ATHLETIC

Waldorf at British School, 5:30

METRO PREP

Chesterton Holy Family at Hinsdale Adventist, 7:00

NOBLE LEAGUE – BLUE

Baker at UIC, 7:00

Golder at Rauner, 7:00

NOBLE LEAGUE – GOLD

Butler at ITW-Speer, 7:00

Comer at Rowe-Clark, 5:30

DRW at Johnson, 7:00

RIVER VALLEY

Clifton Central at Momence, 7:00

Donovan at Grace Christian, 7:00

Illinois Lutheran at Grant Park, 7:00

St. Anne at Gardner-So. Wilmington, 6:45

Tri-Point at Beecher, 7:00

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE – EAST

Joliet Central at Plainfield East, 6:30

Joliet West at Plainfield Central, 6:30

Romeoville at Plainfield South, 6:30

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE – WEST

Minooka at Oswego, 6:30

Oswego East at West Aurora, 6:30

Plainfield North at Yorkville, 6:30

NON CONFERENCE

Amboy at Serena, 7:00

Andrew at Argo, 6:30

Bartlett at Geneva, 7:15

Bloom at Lincoln-Way East, 6:30

Bowen at Hubbard, 5:00

Christ the King at St. Ignatius, 7:15

Curie at De La Salle, 6:00

DeKalb at Glenbard West, 7:00

DePue at Woodland, 7:00

Dixon at Kewanee, 7:00

Dunbar at Clark, 6:30

Dwight at Prairie Central, 7:00

Earlville at Mendota, 7:00

East Aurora at Metea Valley, 6:30

Glenbard North at Naperville Central, 7:00

Grant at Buffalo Grove, 7:00

Greenview at Lowpoint-Washburn, 7:30

Hall at LaSalle-Peru, 7:00

Hiawatha at South Beloit, 7:00

IC Catholic at Lake Park, 7:15

Intrinsic at Schurz, 5:00

Johnsburg at Grayslake Central, 7:00

Juarez at Solorio, 5:00

Julian at Vocational, 5:00

King at Mount Carmel, 7:00

Lake Forest at Glenbrook South, 7:00

Lake Zurich at Prospect, 7:00

Lakes at Vernon Hills, 7:00

Lane at Bulls, 5:30

Latin at Holy Trinity, 6:30

Lemont at Sandburg, 5:45

Leyden at Elmwood Park, 7:00

Midland at Galva, 7:00

Morris at Seneca, 7:00

Muchin at Payton, 6:30

Nazareth at Downers Grove South, 6:00

Neuqua Valley at Morton, 5:30

Niles West at Highland Park, 7:00

North Boone at Marengo, 7:00

Oregon at Ashton-Franklin Center, 7:00

Pecatonica at Genoa-Kingston, 7:00

Perspectives-Lead at Phillips, 5:00

Phoenix at Kelly, 5:00

Plano at Hinckley-Big Rock, 7:00

Princeville at Putnam County, 7:00

Reavis at Lincoln-Way West, 6:30

Reed-Custer at Flanagan-Cornell, 6:45

Roanoke-Benson at Calvary (Normal), 7:00

Rockford Christian at Marmion, 7:00

Roosevelt at Lake View, 7:00

Sandwich at Yorkville Christian, 7:00

Schaumburg at Proviso West, 7:00

Schaumburg Christian at North Shore, 6:00

South Shore at King, 5:00

St. Bede at Marquette, 7:00

Sterling at Rochelle, 7:00

Stevenson at Carmel, 7:00

Stillman Valley at Woodstock North, 7:00

Thornridge at Lockport, 6:30

Tinley Park at Stagg, 6:00

University High at Jones, 6:30

Urban Prep-West at Fenger, 5:00

Westlake Christian at Grayslake North, 7:00

Williams Bay (WI) at Richmond-Burton, 7:00

Woodstock at Badger (WI), 7:00

LAKES

Fremd at St. Viator, 7:00

AURORA CHRISTIAN

Joliet Catholic vs. St. Edward, 4:30

Aurora Central vs. Mooseheart, 6:00

Harvest Christian vs. IMSA, 7:30

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

CHICAGO PREP

Ellison at Ida Crown, 7:30

FOX VALLEY

Burlington Central at Hampshire, 7:30

Crystal Lake Central at McHenry, 7:00

Dundee-Crown at Crystal Lake South, 7:00

Jacobs at Cary-Grove, 7:00

Prairie Ridge at Huntley, 7:00

LAKE SHORE ATHLETIC

Beacon at British School, 6:15

METRO PREP

Lycee Francais at Islamic Foundation, 6:30

Universal at Hinsdale Adventist, 6:00

NIC – 10

Auburn at Hononegah, 7:00

Boylan at Freeport, 7:00

Guilford at Belvidere North, 7:00

Harlem at Belvidere, 7:00

Jefferson at Rockford East, 7:00

NOBLE LEAGUE – BLUE

Hansberry at Pritzker, 7:00

Mansueto at Noble Street, 7:00

Muchin at Noble Academy, 7:00

NON CONFERENCE

Back of the Yards at Kennedy, 6:30

Bowen at Manley, 5:00

Bradley-Bourbonnais at Coal City, 7:00

Chicago Academy at Austin, 5:00

Chicago Christian at Oak Lawn, 6:30

Christian Liberty at Lake Forest Acad-Blk, 6:30

Crete-Monee at Oak Forest, 6:30

Deerfield at Grayslake North, 7:00

Eisenhower at Southland, 7:00

Elgin Academy at Alden-Hebron, 7:00

Fasman Yeshiva at Northside, 8:00

Gary West Side (IN) at Longwood, 5:00

Intrinsic at Rochelle Zell, 6:30

Intrinsic-Downtown at Goode, 5:00

Johnsburg at Antioch, 7:00

Juarez at Hancock, 5:00

King at Kenwood, 5:00

Lakes at Wilmot Union (WI), 7:00

Latin at Jones, 6:30

Mather at Hope Academy, 7:00

Mundelein at North Chicago, 7:00

Notre Dame at Loyola, 7:00

Phoenix at Sullivan, 5:00

Prosser at Legal Prep, 5:00

Putnam County at Peoria Christian, 7:00

Raby at Senn, 6:00

Rockford Lutheran at Marian Central, 7:00

Roycemore at Waldorf, 6:00

Shepard at St. Francis de Sales, 6:30

Spry at Cristo Rey, 6:00

Thornwood at Harlan, 5:00

Uplift at Amundsen, 5:00

Urban Prep-Bronzeville at Julian, 5:00

Urban Prep-West at Englewood STEM, 5:00

Wheeling at Maine East, 7:30

Woodstock at Wauconda, 7:00

AURORA CHRISTIAN

Joliet Catholic vs. Aurora Central, 4:30

Aurora Christian vs. Crossroads, 6:00

Thursday, December 2, 2021

BIG NORTHERN

Dixon at Byron, 7:00

Genoa-Kingston at North Boone, 7:00

Rock Falls at Winnebago, 7:00

NOBLE LEAGUE – GOLD

Butler at Johnson, 5:30

Comer at DRW, 7:00

ITW-Speer at Bulls, 7:00

SOUTH SUBURBAN – CROSSOVER

Thornton Fr. South at Evergreen Park, 6:00

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE – EAST

Plainfield South at Joliet Central, 6:30

UPSTATE EIGHT

Elgin at Fenton, 7:00

Larkin at South Elgin, 7:00

Streamwood at Glenbard East, 5:30

West Chicago at Bartlett, 7:00

NON CONFERENCE

Amboy at Indian Creek, 6:45

Back of the Yards at Hancock, 5:00

Chesterton Holy Family at Families of Faith, 5:30

DePue at Calvary (Normal), 7:00

Donovan at Blue Ridge, 7:00

Dunbar at Fenger, 5:00

EPIC at Agricultural Science, 5:00

Excel-Woodlawn at Perspectives-Lead, 5:00

Hansberry at Ellison, 6:30

North Shore at Walther Christian, 7:30

Payton at King, 5:00

Perspectives-MSA at Lindblom, 5:00

Phillips at Harlan, 5:00

Rauner at Excel-Englewood, 5:30

Rochelle Zell at Westminster Christian, 7:00

Stillman Valley at Harvard, 7:00

AURORA CHRISTIAN

Joliet Catholic vs. Mooseheart, 4:30

St. Edward vs. Aurora Central, 6:00

Crossroads vs. Harvest Christian, 7:30

Friday, December 3, 2021

BIG NORTHERN

Oregon at Stillman Valley, 7:00

CATHOLIC – CROSSOVER

De La Salle at St. Rita, 7:15

Montini at St. Laurence, 7:00

Providence at Loyola, 7:00

Providence-St. Mel at Brother Rice, 7:00

St. Francis de Sales at Mount Carmel, 7:00

St. Ignatius at Leo, 7:00

CENTRAL SUBURBAN – NORTH

Deerfield at Vernon Hills, 7:00

Highland Park at Maine West, 7:00

Maine East at Niles North, 7:00

CENTRAL SUBURBAN – SOUTH

Evanston at Glenbrook South, 7:00

New Trier at Maine South, 7:00

Niles West at Glenbrook North, 7:00

CHICAGO PREP

Christ the King at Cristo Rey, 7:00

DU KANE

Geneva at Glenbard North, 7:15

St. Charles East at Lake Park, 7:15

St. Charles North at Wheaton-Warr. South, 7:30

Wheaton North at Batavia, 7:15

DU PAGE VALLEY

DeKalb at Metea Valley, 7:00

Neuqua Valley at Naperville North, 7:00

Waubonsie Valley at Naperville Central, 7:00

EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC

Carmel at Marian Central, 7:00

Joliet Catholic at Benet, 7:00

Marist at Marian Catholic, 7:00

Notre Dame at Nazareth, 7:00

St. Viator at St. Patrick, 7:00

FOX VALLEY

Cary-Grove at Hampshire, 7:30

Crystal Lake Central at Crystal Lake South, 7:30

Dundee-Crown at Burlington Central, 7:30

Jacobs at Huntley, 7:30

Prairie Ridge at McHenry, 7:30

ILLINOIS CENTRAL EIGHT

Coal City at Peotone, 6:45

Herscher at Reed-Custer, 6:45

Manteno at Wilmington, 7:00

Streator at Lisle, 6:45

INDEPENDENT SCHOOL

Lake Forest Acad-Blk at Elgin Academy, 6:00

Latin at University High, 6:00

Morgan Park Academy at Francis Parker, 6:00

INTERSTATE EIGHT

LaSalle-Peru at Plano, 7:00

Ottawa at Morris, 7:00

Rochelle at Kaneland, 7:00

Sandwich at Sycamore, 7:00

LAKE SHORE ATHLETIC

ACERO-Cruz at Beacon, 5:30

British School at Lycee Francais, 6:00

LITTLE TEN

Hiawatha at Newark, 7:00

Hinckley-Big Rock at Leland, 7:00

Serena at Earlville, 7:00

Somonauk at DePue, 7:00

METRO PREP

Universal at Chesterton Holy Family, 6:30

METRO SUBURBAN – BLUE

Chicago Christian at St. Francis, 7:00

Riverside-Brookfield at IC Catholic, 7:30

METRO SUBURBAN – RED

Elmwood Park at Ridgewood, 7:00

MID-SUBURBAN – EAST

Elk Grove at Buffalo Grove, 7:30

Hersey at Rolling Meadows, 7:30

Prospect at Wheeling, 7:30

MID-SUBURBAN – WEST

Barrington at Fremd, 7:30

Hoffman Estates at Conant, 7:30

Schaumburg at Palatine, 7:30

NIC – 10

Auburn at Harlem, 7:30

Belvidere at Guilford, 7:00

Belvidere North at Freeport, 7:15

Hononegah at Jefferson, 7:00

Rockford East at Boylan, 7:15

NORTHEASTERN ATHLETIC

Our Lady Sacred Heart at Christian Life, 7:00

RIVER VALLEY

Beecher at Donovan, 7:00

Gardner-So. Wilmington at Illinois Lutheran, 7:00

Grant Park at Grace Christian, 7:00

Momence at St. Anne, 7:00

Tri-Point at Clifton Central, 7:00

SOUTH SUBURBAN – CROSSOVER

Argo at Lemont, 7:00

Eisenhower at Bremen, 6:00

Reavis at Oak Forest, 6:30

Richards at Hillcrest, 6:30

Shepard at Tinley Park, 6:30

Thornton Fr. North at Oak Lawn, 7:00

SOUTHLAND

Rich at Kankakee, 6:30

Thornridge at Bloom, 6:00

Thornton at Crete-Monee, 5:00

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE – EAST

Joliet West at Romeoville, 6:30

Plainfield East at Plainfield Central, 6:30

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE – WEST

Minooka at Oswego East, 6:30

Plainfield North at Oswego, 6:30

West Aurora at Yorkville, 6:30

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN – CROSSOVER

Bolingbrook at Stagg, 6:00

Homewood-Flossmoor at Andrew, 6:30

Lincoln-Way East at Lincoln-Way Central, 6:15

Lockport at Lincoln-Way West, 6:00

Sandburg at Bradley-Bourbonnais, 7:00

TRI-COUNTY

Dwight at Putnam County, 7:30

Midland at Woodland, 7:00

Roanoke-Benson at Lowpoint-Washburn, 7:30

Seneca at Henry-Senachwine, 7:00

UPSTATE EIGHT

East Aurora at Glenbard South, 7:00

WEST SUBURBAN – GOLD

Hinsdale South at Willowbrook, 7:30

Leyden at Proviso East, 6:00

WEST SUBURBAN – SILVER

Downers Grove North at Hinsdale Central, 7:30

Lyons at Glenbard West, 7:00

Proviso West at York, 7:30

NON CONFERENCE

Bowen at Richards (Chgo), 5:00

Clemente at Clark, 5:00

Collins vs. Schurz, 5:00

Elgin Academy at Elgin, 7:00

Evergreen Park at DePaul, 7:00

Fenger at Curie, 5:00

Golder at ACERO-Soto, 5:00

Intrinsic-Downtown at Roycemore, 6:00

Kennedy at Legal Prep, 5:00

Lincoln Park at Prosser, 5:00

Marquette at Ashton-Franklin Center, 7:00

McNamara at Timothy Christian, 7:30

Muchin at Sullivan, 5:00

Noble Street at Wells, 6:30

North Boone at Richmond-Burton, 7:00

Northridge at Schaumburg Christian, 6:00

Northside at Chicago Academy, 5:00

Pecatonica at Winnebago, 7:00

Steinmetz at Lake View, 7:00

Urban Prep-West at Amundsen, 6:30

CHICAGO ELITE CLASSIC

at UIC – Credit Union 1 Arena

Oak Park-River Forest vs. Fenwick, 6:00

Taft vs. Lane, 9:00

DANVILLE (IN)

Yorkville Christian vs. Don Bosco (IN), 6:00

KISKI (PA)

Lake Forest Acad-Org vs. Kiski (PA), 7:30

AURORA CHRISTIAN

Mooseheart vs. St. Edward, 6:00

IMSA vs. Aurora Christian, 7:30

Saturday, December 4, 2021

EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC

Marian Catholic at Marian Central, 2:30

INDEPENDENT SCHOOL

Northridge at Lake Forest Acad-Blk, 6:00

METRO SUBURBAN – BLUE

Timothy Christian at Wheaton Academy, 6:00

NIC – 10

Freeport at Hononegah, 2:45

NOBLE LEAGUE – GOLD

DRW at Butler, 7:00

NORTH SUBURBAN

Lake Forest at Libertyville, 5:30

NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY

Grant at Antioch, 3:00

Grayslake Central at North Chicago, 7:00

Lakes at Grayslake North, 7:00

Round Lake at Wauconda, 4:30

WEST SUBURBAN – GOLD

Addison Trail at Downers Grove South, 4:30

NON CONFERENCE

Alcott at Phoenix, 1:00

Bogan at Clark, 2:00

Bulls at Benet (JV), 4:00

Carmel at Waukegan, 5:30

Conant at Maine East, 4:30

Cristo Rey at Horizon-Southwest, TBA

Deerfield at Willowbrook, 7:30

DRW at Bartlett, 12:30

Elgin Academy at Cristo Rey-St. Martin, 1:30

Elk Grove at Elgin, 1:00

Evanston at Mundelein, 4:30

Fenton at Walther Christian, 1:30

Glenbard North at West Chicago, 1:30

Hampshire at Palatine, 4:30

Hansberry at Hope Academy, 12:00

Harvard at Sycamore, 6:00

Hersey at New Trier, 2:00

Hinsdale Central at Hinsdale South, 6:00

Hoopeston at Clifton Cental, 6:30

Hoopeston at Clifton Central, 6:30

Iroquois West at Tri-Point, 7:00

Jacobs at Warren, 2:00

Jones at St. Laurence, 2:30

Lake Zurich at Maine West, 3:00

Legal Prep at Proviso West, 7:00

Lincoln-Way East at Oswego East, 3:00

Lyons at Riverside-Brookfield, 4:30

Mather at Hoffman Estates, 1:00

McNamara at St. Thomas More, 4:30

Newark at Lisle, 6:45

Payton at UIC, 1:00

Peotone at Grace Christian, 11:30

Plano at Yorkville, 6:00

Rockford Christian at Galena, 11:30

Rockford Lutheran at Winnebago, 7:30

South Elgin at St. Charles North, 5:00

South Shore at Mount Carmel, 6:00

Southland at Kankakee, 2:00

Thornwood at Little Village, 5:00

UIC at Payton, 1:00

Urban Prep-Bronzeville at Raby, 12:00

Vocational at Downers Grove North, 3:00

Von Steuben at Niles North, 4:30

Westinghouse at Stevenson, 5:30

Woodstock at Indian Creek, 6:00

Woodstock North at McHenry, 7:00

CHICAGO ELITE CLASSIC

at UIC – Credit Union 1 Arena

St. Ignatius vs. Chaminade (MO), 1:30

North Lawndale vs. Vashon (MO), 3:00

St. Rita vs. Thornton, 4:30

Kenwood vs. Engel Christian (KY), 6:00

Simeon vs. Mater Dei (CA), 7:30

Young vs. Gonzaga (DC), 9:00

DANVILLE (IN)

Yorkville Christian vs. Tindley (IN), 6:45

KISKI (PA)

Lake Forest Acad-Org vs. First Love Christian (PA),

MT. VERNON

Meridian vs. East Lutheran, 11:30

Belleville West vs. McCluer (MO), 1:00

O’Fallon vs. Hazelwood Central (MO), 4:45

Hyde Park vs. Christian Brothers (MO), 6:15

East St. Louis vs. Normal, 7:45

Belleville East vs. Mt. Vernon, 9:15

WHEATON-WARR. SOUTH

Glenbard East vs. Highland Park, 1:30

Schaumburg vs. Wheaton North, 3:00

Naperville North vs. York, 4:30

Batavia vs. Huntley, 6:00

Naperville Central vs. Wheaton-Warr. South, 7:30

AURORA CHRISTIAN

Seventh Place, 3:00

Fifth Place, 4:30

Third Place, 6:00

Championship, 7:30

Sunday, December 5, 2021

KISKI (PA)

Lake Forest Acad-Org vs. Lawrenceville (NJ), 9:00

RIDGEWOOD

Maine South vs. St. Viator, 12:00

Ridgewood vs. Taft, 1:30

Glenbard West vs. Glenbrook South, 3:00

Yorkville Christian vs. St. Patrick, 4:30

Read More

St. Rita’s James Brown (13) moves into position to rebound at the same time as Denmark-Olar’s K’Vontae Davis (24), Washington, Illinois, November 24, 2021. | Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times

A look at this weekend’s major high school basketball shootout.

After the 2019-20 season came to a screeching halt and the 2020-21 season was an abbreviated one with no high-profile shootouts or even a state tournament, the return of the Chicago Elite Classic this weekend is an early-season reminder that high school basketball is getting back to normal.

This annual event, which was canceled a year ago, brings together many of the top girls and boys teams in the Chicago area and welcomes several national programs with big basketball reputations.

Oak Park coach Phil Gary is excited for a number of reasons. He played in the Oak Park-Fenwick rivalry as a high school player at Oak Park and remembers standing-room only crowds. When these two rivals meet again Friday night, Gary is pleased that so many more fans will be able to take in the game as it’s played in a college arena.

Plus, he believes playing in the setting the Chicago Elite Classic creates at UIC’s Credit Union 1 Arena is another step in getting his players back to basketball normalcy.

“It’s going to be great to be in that atmosphere,” said Gary. “More fans are able to see the game now. It’s a nice rivalry that I played in but one where Fenwick has been kicking our butts of late. We want to restore a little of that competitiveness into this rivalry and get a win.”

While Simeon and Young are fixtures in high-profile events and, in particular, the Chicago Elite Classic as coach Robert Smith and Tyrone Slaughter jointly run the event, this is a big opportunity for others. It’s one St. Ignatius coach Matt Monroe jumped at when his team was invited.

“We played in the Chicago Elite Classic three years ago and our kids loved it,” said Monroe. “We had a great time in what is one of the elite events in the entire country that is run extremely well. When we had an opportunity to go back we jumped at the chance. It’s a big stage for our kids and a great chance to test ourselves. We are pumped up to be playing in it.”

Chicago Elite Classic Lineup

Friday, Dec. 3

Butler vs. Phillips (girls), 4:30

Oak Park vs. Fenwick, 6

The Chicago Elite Classic has been a showcase for this fun, intense rivalry with a local flare as both schools are just eight miles from UIC.

Although many of the games have been down-to-the-wire finishes, Fenwick has dominated the series in recent years. While Fenwick’s six-game win streak over Oak Park was snapped in a 2017 Chicago Elite Classic thriller, Fenwick won 66-65 in overtime in 2018 and 58-48 in 2019.

New to this rivalry matchup are the coaches. Both Oak Park’s Phil Gary, who took over the program last season, and first-year Fenwick coach Tony Young will get their first taste of playing each other in this event.

Fenwick is led by a returning pair of seniors: point guard Denium Juette and 6-4 wing Gabe Madej. A couple of other seniors, 6-5 Max Reese and 5-11 guard TJ Stepehenson, are battle-tested. The Friars hope a strong group of young players can rise to the occasion.

The 1-2 punch of Denver recruit Justin Mullins, a 6-5 wing who has blossomed over the past year, and emerging 6-5 Sam Lewis, a talented and athletic junior, give Oak Park the edge.

Homewood-Flossmoor vs. Young (girls), 7:30

Taft vs. Lane, 7:30

This event pairs two North Side programs who are provided a big platform. Taft finished 11-2 a year ago and won the Public League’s White-North. Lane Tech has continued to grow its program under coach Nick LoGalbo. Part of that growth has been aided by the production of 6-2 senior Sean Malloy as he starts his third varsity season. Senior point guard Ethan Grunebaum is another key returning player from a year ago.

Saturday, Dec. 4

Simeon vs. St. Louis Vashon (girls), 10:30 a.m.

Kenwood vs. Joliet West (girls), noon

St. Ignatius vs. St. Louis Chaminade, 1:30

Highly-regarded St. Ignatius was tripped up by Lake Forest and Loyola in two Thanksgiving Tournament barn burners last week. But this talented team has one of the best foundations of any team with the trio of senior AJ Redd, junior Richard Barron and senior Kolby Gilles. In the loss to Lake Forest, Barron, a 6-4 physical guard with a torch from the three-point line, hit seven threes and scored 32 points.

Chaminade has been a Missouri power, advancing to the state semifinals last year for the sixth time in seven seasons. The Red Devils finished third in the state in Missouri’s Class 6 a year ago but was raided by Link Year Prep, which nabbed two high-profile transfers in Tarris Reed, Jr., last year’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch Player of the Year who has signed with Michigan, and Damien Mayo, Jr.

But this is still a basketball power and it returns twin senior guards Nate Straughter, a weapon from the three-point line, and Walt Straughter. Junior guards BJ Ward and Nilavan Daniels also bring back experience from a year ago.

North Lawndale vs. St. Louis Vashon, 3:00

Is North Lawndale ready for the bright lights of the Chicago Elite Classic and to remove itself from the shadow of other city basketball heavyweights? This is a big opportunity for coach Carlos Tolliver and his program. The catalyst for the Phoenix remains the junior backcourt of Ronald Chambers and Damarion Wyatt.

Vashon won Missouri state championships in 2019 and 2021. While coach Tony Irons may not have a high-profile name in the program right now, it fully expects to continue its winning ways. Seniors guards Ramirez Taylor and Arlandus Harris are back, along with junior guard Kennard Davis, who is the team’s top returning scorer from last season. Jayden Nicholson, a 6-4 junior transfer, is a big addition.

St. Rita vs. Thornton, 4:30

An ultra-intriguing matchup featuring two teams with players so many fans are anxious to see play, especially Illinois Fighting Illini fans.

The arrival of Ty Rodgers, a move-in from Michigan who has signed with Illinois, has rejuvenated the hopes of Thornton and excited the basketball fanbase in this state. The athletic, hard-nosed Rodgers is physically gifted and gets his first chance of playing on a big stage in Illinois.

The ballyhooed sophomore group at St. Rita is hyped and ready. This program and these talented young players are both looking to take a major step forward this season. That could start right here.

Everything about 6-9 James Brown and 6-8 Morez Johnson, an Illinois commit, screams high-major prospect as sophomores. Junior Kaiden Space and sophomore Jaedin Reyna are Division I prospects, while freshman Melvin Bell is one of the most promising young players in the state.

Kenwood vs. Evangel Christian (NY), 6

Yes, JJ Taylor, who was the state’s top-ranked junior prospect, has left Kenwood. But coach Mike Irvin’s team is loaded with talent, starting with senior guard Trey Pettigrew and the junior combo of dynamic scoring guard Darrin “Dai Dai” Ames and budding 6-7 Davius Loury. Plus, 6-5 freshman Bryce Heard is arguably the best freshman in the state.

Cyr Malonga, a 6-11 center and high-major talent in the junior class, and talented sophomore guard Carmelo Mercer leads Evangel Christian. Christian Spalding is a 6-3 senior point guard and has low-major Division I and Division II interest and offers.

Simeon vs. Mater Dei (CA), 7:30

A couple of legendary coaches in their respective states bring their powerhouse programs together in one of the marquee games.

Coach Robert Smith’s team will rely heavily on the perimeter play of seniors Jaylen Drane and Avyion Morris and junior Jalen Griffin. How quickly 6-8 transfers Miles and Wesley Rubin get acclimated will go a long way in Simeon’s development over the course of this season.

Mater Dei coach Gary McKnight is now in his 40th season. He’s won more than 1,100 games, 11 CIF state championships and his powerhouse program has another loaded team.

Mater Dei is led by Zack Davidson, a skilled 6-8 junior 4-man who has led the Monarchs in scoring thus far, 6-6 senior guard Kaden Minter and senior point guard Mason Ressler. Keep an eye on some of the emerging freshmen in the program: 6-2 freshman Owen Verna and 6-10, 240-pound Tee Bartlett.

Young vs. Gonzaga (DC), 9

There will be a surplus of Division I talent on display in the finale of the Chicago Elite Classic as two programs with national reputations collide.

Young and coach Tyrone Slaughter will lean heavily on their two talented big men: AJ Casey, a versatile 6-8 forward headed to Miami-Florida, and Northern Illinois recruit Xavier Amos. The emergence of two juniors — point guard Dalen Davis and 6-5 Daniel Johnson — and the arrival of freshman Antonio Munoz makes the Dolphins dangerous on the perimeter.

Gonzaga coach Stephen Turner brings one of the high school basketball giants to Chicago. As always, Gonzaga’s roster is filled with Division I talent. Senior point guard Devin Dinkins is headed to George Mason while a pair of 6-6 wings, Quinn Clark and Jared Turner, have multiple Division I offers.

The young, up-and-coming players in the program, including sophomore point guard Justin Gilmore and freshman guard Nyk Lewis, are already Division I prospects.

Read More