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A 16-year-old boy has been charged with a fatal shooting Sept. 25, in West Elsdon. | Sun-Times file

The boy, whose name has not been released because he is a minor, was charged with first-degree murder.

A 16-year-old boy has been charged with a fatal shooting in September in West Elsdon on the Southwest Side.

The boy, whose name has not been released because he is a minor, was charged with first-degree murder, according to Chicago police.

About 8:30 p.m. Sept. 25, Azul De La Garza was sitting in a parked car in the 5400 block of South Avers Avenue when someone approached and fired shots, police said. She was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Hospital.

The boy was taken into custody about noon Monday, in the 4900 block of South Keeler Avenue, after being identified by police as the person who allegedly fired the shots, police said.

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Fourteen people were wounded, and one person was killed, Nov. 22, 2021, in Chicago. | Sun-Times file photo

A woman was fatally shot, and a second woman was seriously wounded in Gresham.

Fifteen people were shot, one of them fatally, Monday in Chicago, including two women who were shot, one of them fatally, in Gresham on the South Side.

One of the women, 22, was found dead in a bathtub with a gunshot wound to her head in the 8200 block of South Justine Street around 5:30 a.m., Chicago police said. Her name hasn’t been released. Another woman, 20, was on a sidewalk outside with a gunshot wound to her face. She was hospitalized in serious condition at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Police said they were looking for a male suspect. No arrests were reported.

In non-fatal shootings, a 16-year-old boy was seriously wounded in a shooting in Morgan Park on the Far South Side. Just before 8 p.m., the teen boy was in the 1100 block of West 110th Street when someone fired shots at him, police said. He suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the body and was taken in serious condition to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

Nine others were wounded in shootings citywide.

Five people were killed, and thirty-four others were wounded, in shootings last weekend in Chicago.

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Moon Alert

There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions until 11:30 p.m. Chicago time. The moon is in Cancer.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

Today your focus is on home, family and your private life. You might want to hide or cocoon at home and just do your own thing. Or you might use your energy at home for family discussions or rearranging the furniture. Either way.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

You have lots of mental energy, which is why you have opinions and you want to share them. Factoid: Taurus people are interested in politics and history. They are newspaper readers because the news is current history.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

You have money on your mind. You might dream up some money-making ideas, or negotiate financial matters. (Probably both.) You might contemplate a major purchase. (Money is so handy when you want to buy things.)

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Today the moon is in your sign, which increases your emotional reactions. The good news is it also increases your good luck, which means this is the perfect day to ask the universe for a favor. It never hurts. Why not go after what you want?

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

This is a playful, social time for you, which is why today might be the perfect day to be low-key and catch your breath. After all, you can’t be all things to all people all of the time. Not even you — and you are royalty. Cut yourself some slack.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

A lively discussion with a friend or a member of a group is likely today. This discussion most likely will be with a female. You might want to encourage a group of people to embrace a certain mandate. Or perhaps you will sit down with someone and discuss your goals for the future.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

For some reason, some personal details about your private life seem to be public. People might be talking about you or they notice you. (You might know about this — or you might not.) Do be aware that this is a possibility in case you have to do some damage control.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Today you feel restless and eager to explore new ideas and new places! You want some adventure! You certainly want to expand your world in some way. Therefore, travel if you can. If not, explore the world in other ways and try to learn new things. Go for it!

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

You can’t ignore financial matters today, especially matters related to debt, credit, shared property, inheritances, wills, estates and insurance issues. This is all red-tape stuff, but you have to stay on top of it because it’s the smart thing to do. Don’t be in the dark.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

Today the moon is in the sign that is exactly opposite from your sign, which means you will have to go more than halfway when dealing with others. Hey, this is no biggie. You simply have to be cooperative and friendly. Be accommodating. Just go along to get along.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

You will be involved with coworkers today much more than usual. You might listen to their problems or their interests. Likewise, you might be involved with someone who relates to your own health issues. You might even be more emotionally involved with a pet. It’s that kinda day.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

Plan to have some fun today! Take a long lunch. Meet someone for Happy Hour. Do something that pleases you, perhaps related to sports events, fun activities with kids or a romantic outing. Take a special “vacation day” just for you.

If Your Birthday Is Today

Singer, songwriter Miley Cyrus (1990) shares your birthday. You are enthusiastic, high-energy and creative. You want to have the personal freedom to do things that are different. You want to be in charge of your life. You are also not afraid to be unusual, even shocking. This year you have a strong zest for life as well as a need to socialize and be friendly with others.

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Kofi Cockburn, who was suspended the first three games of the season for violating NCAA rules, had 18 points and seven rebounds Monday night against Cincinnati in the semifinals of the Hall of Fame Classic. | Charlie Riedel/AP

The nation’s top-ranked defense through the first couple of weeks suddenly struggled to guard the Bearcats on the perimeter in a stunning 71-51 loss.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Cincinnati coach Wes Miller had no idea who he was watching early on against Illinois on Monday night.

Not because he’s in his first year with the Bearcats, either.

“We weren’t playing our defensive principles. We weren’t alert. We weren’t executing offensively,” Miller said.

It took two media timeouts for the Bearcats to rediscover themselves. And when they did, they mounted a big first-half charge to take a stunning halftime lead, then steadily pulled away from the No. 14 Illini for a 71-51 victory that pushed them into the championship game of the Hall of Fame Classic.

“Sometimes you’re going to get your butt kicked, that’s part of college basketball,” Miller said. “I don’t like it but that’s part of it, and if we were going to get our butt kicked, let’s get it kicked our way. And I thought our guys really adjusted and we started to play the way we had the first four games of the year.”

Mike Saunders Jr. scored 20 points and Jeremiah Davenport added 19 to lead the Bearcats (5-0), who went 17 of 20 from the foul line and won the battle of the boards against the bigger Illini (2-2) inside T-Mobile Center.

That earned the right to play the winner of No. 13 Arkansas and Kansas State for the tournament title.

“This shows what we can do,” Davenport said. “As a whole group, we just have to go out every night and just execute what we can do at the highest level. You guys saw it tonight.”

Kofi Cockburn, who was suspended the first three games of the season for violating NCAA rules, had 18 points and seven rebounds for the Illini (2-2). Andre Curbelo added 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting with five turnovers.

“We got off to a good start but give Cincinnati a ton of credit. They played harder than we did, which is very unacceptable for me to stomach,” Illini coach Brad Underwood said. “They were the more physical team. And I give them a lot of credit.”

Indeed, the Illini looked as if they were going to blow out the Bearcats in the first 10 minutes.

Cockburn had a big part in it.

The 7-foot, 275-pound center from Jamaica bullied his way to six straight points to open the game, and the Illini raced to a 19-4 lead before the Bearcats seemed to realize the game had tipped off. At one point, Cockburn had outscored Cincinnati 12-8 as the Illini built a 23-8 advantage nearing the midpoint of the first half.

That’s when Miller made a couple of subtle adjustments that got them on track.

They slowed Cockburn with physical double-teams in the post, and they began jumping the passing lanes, and at one point the Bearcats held Illinois without a field goal for nearly seven minutes. They pieced together a 14-1 run of their own during the stretch, and David DeJulius made a couple foul shots just before halftime to give Cincinnati a 34-31 lead.

The Illini’s slump endured well into the second half.

Davenport drilled a 3-pointer right out of the locker room, and Illinois proceeded to miss 10 consecutive field-goal attempts at one point, as the hot-shooting Bearcats’ stunning run eventually reached 22-5 to start the second half.

It was about that point that Underwood tore the wrapper off a piece of gum.

Might have been an antacid.

The nation’s top-ranked defense through the first couple weeks of the season suddenly struggled to guard the Bearcats on the perimeter. And regardless of whether Cockburn wasn’t in the lineup, the Illini had trouble chasing down deep rebounds, which gave Cincinnati second and third chances on several trips down the floor.

That was enough to send the Bearcats to their first win over a ranked team since beating Tennessee on Dec. 18, 2019.

“We haven’t arrived, guys,” Miller said. “It was a good night, I’m excited, but we haven’t arrived or crossed the finish line.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Illinois was two different teams the first 10 minutes and the final 30. Cockburn was aggressive going to the basket, and Curbelo and the rest of the Illini guards took care of the ball at the start. But once the middle bogged down, Illinois lost all semblance of offensive rhythm. It wound up 3 of 22 on 3s and shot 28% from the field overall.

Cincinnati still hasn’t played from behind in the second half this season. But the way the Bearcats handled the Illini was far more impressive than opening wins over Evansville, Georgia, Alabama A&M and Presbyterian. They turned the ball over a mere 11 times while preventing Illinois from scoring a single point in transition.

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Bears coach Matt Nagy reacts after the Ravens scored a touchdown in the final minute Sunday at Soldier Field. | Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

They haven’t done much right for a long time, so beginning from scratch makes some sense.

If the Bears don’t beat the pitiful Lions on Thursday, you wonder whether Mama Bear, Virginia McCaskey, will rise from her Thanksgiving dinner and say to son George, the Bears’ chairman, and other assembled offspring: ”I’m pissed off! Ain’t taking it no more!”

In this vision, she decrees the Bears will be blown up and begin anew.

You wonder.

Because what has gone right for the Bears this last quarter-century?

Yes, there was the Super Bowl appearance — and loss — 15 years ago.

And there was the 2010 season, when they went 11-5 before losing in the NFC Championship Game to — who else? — Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. (Perhaps you remember injured quarterback Jay Cutler standing on the sideline in the second half, as mute and expressionless as an Easter Island monolith.)

Then there was the 12-4 season in 2018, when the Bears and new quarterback hope Mitch Trubisky lost a wild-card playoff game to the Eagles. (Remember a kicker named Cody ”Double-Doink” Parkey?)

And there was the 8-8 season last year, when the Bears became only the third team in modern NFL history to make the playoffs with a .500 record. Of course, they lost immediately.

So here we are now.

What we saw in their 16-13 loss Sunday to the Ravens on a beautiful football afternoon at Soldier Field was pathetic. Coach Matt Nagy made mistakes left and right. He even had a technological breakdown, with his headset going out at a key moment.

Jeez, Bears people, you’ve never had your laptop freeze? Your server crash? Your light bulb die? Seems to me a prearranged backup plan for techno failure might be included in your endless game-week preparation, guys.

But whatever.

The Bears are 3-7 for so many reasons. The most glaring, beyond an oddly troubling defense, is the quarterback play.

Rookie starter Justin Fields left the game against the Ravens with battered ribs, and the question shouldn’t be whether he’ll be ready to play against the Lions but whether he should play again this season — in any condition.

There are various historic scenarios for rookie quarterbacks who become starters, and getting beaten to a pulp because you’re not ready or good enough is a prime one.

Fields has fumbled nine times already and has been crushed and bent more than anyone should be. He hasn’t done anything spectacular, other than unleash a couple of speedy runs other NFL quarterbacks can’t.

He has thrown four touchdown passes and eight interceptions. He has completed only 58.1% of his passes and has a sad passer rating of 69.0.

By contrast, Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones, who was taken after Fields in the draft, has thrived as a starter. He has completed 70.2% of his passes with 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions and has a 94.7 rating. He has led the Patriots to five consecutive victories.

His coach? Evil genius Bill Belichick. You may despise the man — I can’t stand him — but it’s guaranteed Jones loves him. (Belichick once helped a fellow named Tom Brady, too.)

There is a very real possibility Fields never is going to be the answer to the Bears’ eternal quarterback search. If he gets beaten up much more, he might not be the answer to walking upright.

I asked veteran replacement Andy Dalton whether he thought Fields chilling on the bench and observing for the rest of the season might not be a good solution.

”That’s not my call,” Dalton said.

I asked Nagy the same thing.

”Again, I’m not getting into any of that,” he said.

Understandable. If Fields is a dud, which right now looks possible, if not likely, everything is out the window. Who in the Bears’ organization wants to comment on that?

It seems general manager Ryan Pace has put together nothing but a flailing team without a future. As a coach, Nagy has run into some kind of wall that might not even be of his making.

It was always a dilemma, anointing a rookie quarterback as a savior. Sports media and the pubic demanded Fields play. If he hadn’t, Nagy would have been roasted. So Fields played and maybe now is damaged.

Bears management has to own this. Nagy has to accept he hasn’t helped Fields’ progress. Pace has to accept that maybe he picks quarterback duds.

Something has to give with these Bears.

It should start with dynamite.

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A 16-year-old boy was shot November 22, 2021 in Morgan Park. | Adobe Stock Photo

The teen boy was in the 1100 block of West 110th Street when someone fired shots at him.

A 16-year-old boy was seriously wounded in a shooting Monday night in Morgan Park on the Far South Side.

Just before 8 p.m., the teen boy was in the 1100 block of West 110th Street when someone fired shots at him, Chicago police said.

He suffered multiple gunshot wounds on the body and was taken in serious condition to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, police said.

Area detectives are investigating.

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Homewood-Flossmoor’s Nashawn Holmes (2) controls the ball as the Vikings move into the front court against Hyde Park. | Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times

Scores, highlights and analysis from the top games of Monday, Nov. 22, 2021.

Well that was refreshing. Tonight I watched Hyde Park and Homewood-Flossmoor in a really well-played game. Both teams looked like they were in mid-season form, there wasn’t any of the usual Thanksgiving sloppiness. That has to be a good sign for both teams this season.

It was the usual sparse opening night crowd. I probably could have identified more than half the people in attendance at Marian Catholic. I like how the high school basketball season starts slowly, with just the true aficionados in the gym.

Although I guess that Young vs. Morgan Park game that started the last real season was pretty great too.

Hyde Park and Homewood-Flossmoor both showed plenty of promise. Expect the Vikings to be dangerous soon.

It’s impressive what Jamere Dismukes and his experienced coaching staff have done in a short time at Hyde Park. I’d imagine there are some south suburban schools wishing they hadn’t let him get away.

Lets dive into tonight’s games. I’m sure you can’t wait for all my crazy bold overreactions to one high school basketball game in November.

Monday’s top games

Beecher 71, Manteno 39: Yup, we are gonna follow Beecher this season. If you don’t know why then you haven’t been listening to No Shot Clock. The Bobcats are going for the first outright conference title in 20 years and the school record of 22 wins. And we are going to follow them every step of the way. Duane Doss scored 21 in the season-opening win. Adyn McGinley stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, eight rebounds and five assists and Mitch Landis added 10 points, five steals and four assists.

No. 15 Bloom 61, Lincoln-Way Central 56: Bloom holds on to win but this has to be an encouraging start to the season for the Knights.

Collins 58, Chicago Academy 57: Antoine Glasper is really high on my list of players to see this season. Here scored 31 for Collins, which won it at the buzzer. Anthony Zepeda led Chicago Academy with 26 points.

No. 1 Glenbard West 80, Glenbard South 27: All the Glenbards play each other in a (for the rest of the area) kinda confusing Thanksgiving tournament. The Hilltoppers debuted with some very balanced scoring. Cade Pierce had 13, Braden Huff and Bobby Durkin scored 12, Paxton Warden added 11 and Ryan Renfro had 10.

No. 6 Glenbrook South 91, Elk Grove 49: Nick Martinelli and Cooper Noard did their usual thing. Each scored 24 points. Gaven Marr (10 points) and Nate Kasher (nine points) made successful varsity debuts.

Hillcrest 65, TF South 56: Hillcrest fans did a lot whining about the preseason rankings (that’s nothing new). I expected the Hawks to drop 200 points on TF South in the opener based on all that bravado. They turned in a nice win and Marcus Glover had a big night, I saw a couple of different point totals for him floating around.

No. 20 Rolling Meadows 77, Montini 63: The Mustangs win the first game of the post-Max Christie era. It was a huge night for his brother. Junior Cam Christie scored 33 points. He was 20 of 20 from the free-throw line and had six rebounds. Mark Nikolich-Wilson added 12 points and 15 rebounds and Foster Ogbonna had 13 points and 11 boards.

Oak Forest 82, Dixon 50: I actually thought about attending this game. I’m dying to get a look at the Ottawa gym and this seemed like a good excuse. Robbie Avila exploded for 40 points and 11 rebounds. Let the under the radar Player of the Year campaign begin! I’ve been a huge fan of Avila’s game his entire high school career. It isn’t just the scoring, he does it all. Fred Robinson added 23 points for the Bengals.

Lincoln Park 66, Providence-St. Mel 47: Senior Chris Hammonds scored 15 and we have a new freshman name, Justin Bowen Jr. added 14.

No. 11 Brother Rice 83, Morton 67: I don’t want to oversell it but this was one of the more surprising scores of the night. I expect Morton to be pretty good this season, they have some talented guards. Ahmad Henderson dropped 30 for the Crusaders. Khalil Ross scored 17 in his Brother Rice debut and Nick Niego added 15.

No. 7 Curie 85, Zion-Benton 44: Phoenix Bullock had 17 points and five assists and Jeremy Harrington added 16 points and four steals. The sophomores, Carlos Harris and Taevion Collier, each had 10 and Chikasi Ofamo scored 12 in his high school debut.

Bartlett 75, Metea Valley 58: Expect the Hawks to be a notebook regular this season. Conrad Luczynski, the 7-2 senior, is going to post some fun numbers. He got started right away with 18 points, 20 rebounds, nine blocks and eight assists. That’s kind of insane.

Romeoville 57, Plainfield Central 43: Joliet Central transfer Troy Cicero can play. The junior had 18 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Meyoh Swansey added 11 points and six rebounds.

North Lawndale 73, Schurz 27: A dominant opening win for the Phoenix, who just missed the rankings and could be very good this season. Vincent Mayes, a 6-5 senior, had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

No. 23 DeKalb 64, Oswego 57 OT: A tight one for the Barbs. Oswego is always pretty good, so I don’t think this is a major warning sign yet.

Neuqua Valley 53, West Aurora 46: Minor surprise here. The Blackhawks were expected to bounce back solidly this season. Erikas Gurskas scored 15 and Cole Vonnahme added 12 for the Wildcats. West Aurora shot 19 for 64, missing 21 three pointers.

Bradley-Bourbonnais 56, Lemont 55: Both teams have D1 prospects, but Lemont was expected to be a top 40ish team this season. They are still very young though.

St. Viator 75, Streamwood 54: Freshman Josiah Calvin led the way with 17 points. That’s a very familiar last name.

Hinsdale Central 55, Naperville Central 32: The Red Devils appear to be able to shoot it this season. They were 10 for 21 from three in the opener.

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Hyde Park’s Davontae Hall, right, dribbles around Homewood-Flossmoor’s Luis Acevedo. | Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times

The No. 24 Thunderbirds beat the Vikings 77-68 in the Chicago Heights Classic at Marian Catholic.

Hyde Park senior Davontae Hall was all flash, style and speed as a young high school player. His talent was undeniable, but so many kids never find a way to evolve into a mature, focused and truly effective player.

Hall’s debut as a senior Monday was memorable. All the danger has left his game. He’s poised and unselfish, and his teammates have followed his lead.

The No. 24 Thunderbirds beat Homewood-Flossmoor 77-68 in the Chicago Heights Classic at Marian Catholic.

”I’ve just been staying in the gym,” Hall said. ”There’s no secret to what happened. It’s just working. I wanted to become a better teammate and a better leader.”

Jamere Dismukes, a Rich East graduate, took over as Hyde Park’s coach last season.

”I’ve been trying to point [Hall] in the right direction of what a point guard needs to be,” Dismukes said. ”He has aspirations to play high-major basketball. I broke down to him what he needed to do to achieve that dream. He’s doing a great job of it. His game has completely changed.”

Hyde Park junior Damarion Morris made his first five shots and his first four three-pointers. The early hot shooting helped the Thunderbirds build a 42-27 halftime lead.

”It felt good playing my first game after the COVID season,” Morris said. ”I just wanted to do what I had to do for us to get a win.”

Morris scored a game-high 24 points and Hall 19. Malik Jenkins, a 6-6 senior, added 15 points, and junior guard Camron Williford scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds.

Homewood-Flossmoor switched to a full-court press in the second half. It forced the Thunderbirds into turnovers and cut their lead to 56-50 near the end of the third quarter.

But Hyde Park showed its backbone in the fourth quarter, adjusting to the press and making 8 of 9 free throws to regain a double-digit lead.

”Morris is very underrated,” Dismukes said. ”He does everything. He can shoot it, he can finish around the rim and rebound and make plays for others and he guards 94 feet the entire game. That’s an impressive game against a really good H-F team that always guards.”

Vikings senior Christian Meeks dominated inside, finishing with 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Homewood-Flossmoor’s guards are talented but inexperienced. There’s plenty for Vikings coach Marc Condotti to work with during the next few months.

”Hyde Park played really good,” Condotti said. ”They shot the ball well and made free throws and did everything they were supposed to do to win the game. We don’t have a ton of experience, so it’s no easy task to open up against them.”

Sophomore Lee Marks added 13 points and five rebounds, senior Robert Brazelton chipped in 11 points off the bench and senior Luis Acevedo had nine points and nine rebounds for the Vikings.

”We got the answers to our questions right away about what we need to work on,” Condotti said. ”We’ll be a different team, hopefully, in March. We just have to get some experience. We could be pretty good.”

The Thunderbirds have a chance to be the first Public League team to win the 17-year-old Chicago Heights Classic. And they have even bigger goals than that for their season.

”We have a chip on our shoulder,” Morris said. ”We are the hunted now. We want to win every game we can and get to that No. 1 spot.”

Watch the final minute of Hyde Park vs. Homewood-Flossmoor:

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