West Aurora's Crutcher earns MVP distinction
West Aurora senior forward Jared Crutcher has earned Daily Herald MVP honors for his recent high school boys basketball performances.
Jared Crutcher, West Aurora: This 6-foot-5 forward helped the Blackhawks double Glenbard East 72-36 last Friday by scoring a game-best 18 points. The following night against Willowbrook (19-4) at Batavia's Night of Hoops, the senior tallied a game-best 27 points and hauled in 16 rebounds to lead West Aurora (16-4) to a 78-66 victory, its eighth straight.
Julian Dones, Maine West: The senior guard kept Maine West atop the Central Suburban North race with a big road performance. Dones finished with a game-high 24 points and canned seven 3s as the Warriors won 61-57 at Deerfield on Friday. He came back with 14 points in an 81-65 nonconference win over Chicago Collins on Saturday.
Jackson Qualley, Stevenson: Qualley provided quality and quantity. The 6-foot-2 senior guard knocked down five 3-pointers and scored a team-high 17 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 2 steals, as the Patriots beat Warren 45-34. He then had a game-high 21 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists to help the Patriots defeat Mundelein 49-34 and avenge an earlier-season loss.
Cameron Stitt, Lisle: The 6-foot-2 senior forward totaled 36 points and 12 rebounds to help No. 4 seed Lisle earn its first Interstate Eight Conference Tournament title. Stitt's personal-high 23 points paced a 58-53 win over No. 1 seed Herscher. He scored 13 points in a 48-39 title-game win over No. 3 seed Streator.