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Brucato gave St. Charles East a presence at state

While St. Charles East's boys basketball team came up just short in its attempt to reach the Class 4A state semifinals this season for the first time in school history, Saints guard Grayson Brucato accomplished the next best thing last weekend.

Brucato, a 6-foot-4 senior, made the trip to Peoria last Thursday to participate in the Illinois High School Association's annual Three-Point Showdown.

He represented the Saints well.

One of 32 shooters participating in Thursday's Class 4A state preliminary round at Carver Arena, Brucato connected on 11 of his 15 three-point attempts to finish in a 3-way tie for third place alongside Lincoln-Way Central's Jarret Gmazel and Oak Forest's Marshaud Watkins.

Since West Chicago's Jacob Wiegele and Sandburg's Sean McShane had already snatched the first two spots in the 4A finals by each hitting 12 three-pointers, Brucato, Gmazel and Watkins competed in a shootout for the final two berths.

Brucato emerged as the winner of the tiebreaker by making 8 of 10 attempts from the opposite corners while Gmazel edged Watkins, 7-6, for the final spot.

"I didn't expect to reach the finals," said Brucato, who also emerged from a tiebreaker in the sectional finals held at Rock Valley College on March 11 prior to the Saints' 55-48 loss to Rockford Auburn to land a state preliminary berth - making 7 three-pointers along with Streamwood junior guard Jason Manlansen and Larkin freshman guard Pierre Black.

Prairie Ridge senior forward Christopher Bradshaw connected on 12 of 15 three-point tries to earn the first state qualifying spot.

During each stage of the Three-Point Showdown, participants receive 45 seconds to attempt 15 three-point shots - 5 per rack from the two corners of the court and at the top of the key.

"It goes by pretty quickly," Brucato said of the time allotment.

Comfort and the random shooting order also play a factor.

"It's always nice to go first," said Brucato, who positioned the rack of balls to his right side prior to shooting. "That way, it's a weight off your shoulders and everything else is out of your control. There's more pressure when you're watching other guys make their shots."

Brucato, who made 12 three-pointers during the regional round on the Saints' home court, connected on 5 three-pointers during Friday's 4A finals held between the state semifinal contests.

"It was right after the Rockford Auburn-Curie game (Curie won 55-53)," said Brucato. "There were a lot of people in the stands. I was kind of nervous at first but then I relaxed a little once we started."

Wiegele knocked down 13 three-pointers to claim the 4A title and a spot in the King of the Hill competition (1A-4A champions). Class 2A Holy Trinity senior guard Cristian Camarillo earned King of the Hill honors with 11 three-pointers.

Earlier in the day, Brucato and the other three 4A finalists participated in an autograph session at the IHSA Store at the March Madness Experience in the Exhibit Hall adjacent to Carver Arena.

"The whole experience was a lot of fun," said Brucato, a 2-year varsity player at St. Charles East. "It was very cool to be able to go onto the court."

Brucato plans to attend the University of Kansas this fall, majoring in graphic design.

As for his three-point shooting expertise …

"I'll play intramural basketball," he said.

That team will be lucky to have him.

College news: Former St. Charles North standout Jake Ludwig enjoyed an outstanding season as a member of the Roosevelt University men's basketball squad.

Ludwig, a 6-1 guard, recently received the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference's Freshman of the Year honors after leading the Lakers to a 12-16 record (8-12 in conference play).

Ludwig, who averaged a team-leading 17.9 points and 3.6 assists per game, became the first individual conference postseason award winner in modern Roosevelt history.

In addition, Ludwig earned a spot on the All-CCAC Second Team.

Scoring in double figures in 27 of the team's 28 games, Ludwig turned in the best true freshman season since Roosevelt revived its basketball program in 2010-2011. He topped the 20-point mark 11 times, pouring in a career-high 27 points against Stritch on Feb. 3.

"Jake is very deserving of these awards," Roosevelt coach Joe Griffin said on the school's website. "He had an outstanding season and was very durable throughout. He never hit a wall and made big plays for us from our first game to the last.

"Our future is bright with Jake in the backcourt, but the best thing about Jake is his grit and his character. He is as tough as they get, yet respectful and coachable as well."

Streamwood product Zack Harris was a teammate of Ludwig at Roosevelt, averaging 4.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Harris, a 6-10 junior center, transferred from Elgin Community College last season.

Craig Brueske can be reached at csb4k@hotmail.com.

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