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Boys basketball: Week 3 MVPs

Timothy Christian senior Connor VanderBrug has earned Daily Herald MVP honors for his recent basketball performances.

The 6-foot-6 VanderBrug scored 29, 23 and 23 points and average more than 9 rebounds in three straight Trojans victories.

Players of the week

Amanze Egekeze, Huntley: This 6-foot-8 senior drove the lane, pulled up and nailed a 12-foot jump shot over a defender with 3 seconds remaining to lift Huntley to a 57-55 victory over Boylan Catholic in Rockford Saturday. The Belmont-bound forward finished with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. Egekeze also led the Red Raiders with 15 points in a 73-24 victory over Crystal Lake Central earlier in the week.

Jack Lipp, Libertyville: Lipp kissed in shots all night, particularly in the fourth quarter. With leading scorer Joe Borcia unavailable, the senior guard stepped up his offensive game against Lake Forest. The second-year varsity starter scored a career-high 31 points, including a dazzling 17 in the final quarter. Despite his efforts, which kept his team close, the Wildcats fell 59-49.

Connor VanderBrug, Timothy Christian: The Trojans went 3-0 last week behind the stellar play of their 6-foot-6 senior leader. VanderBrug began with a 29-point, 12-rebound game against Aurora Christian before adding a 23-point, 10-rebound effort against Ridgewood. An overall strong game against Westmont included 23 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks.

Roosevelt Smart, St. Viator: The 6-foot-3 junior guard has been on a tear lately, scoring in bunches as St. Viator collectively gains momentum. He had 27 points in a 61-48 victory at Carmel, including 14 in the third quarter as the Lions took control. Smart followed that up with a team-high 20 in a decisive win against St. Ignatius on Saturday as St. Viator won its fifth straight.

A.J. Washington, St. Charles East: The 6-foot-5 senior forward did a little bit of everything in a pair of Upstate Eight River wins. In a 61-57 win over Geneva he held the Vikings’ top scorer without a first-half point while scoring 6 with 6 rebounds. Washington dunked his way to 12 points plus 7 rebounds, 2 blocks in an 84-52 win over Streamwood.

Amanze Egekeze
Jack Lipp
Roosevelt Smart
AJ Washington
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