unbeaten condors advance to semifinals
PONTIAC, Ill. — Ramean Hinton didn’t have his best game in the quarterfinals of the Pontiac Holiday Tournament on Friday.
The 6-5 Curie senior scored 14 points and had 11 rebounds, but he shot just 4-for-14. Those numbers don’t come close to measuring the impact he made in the Condors’ 53-45 victory against St. Charles North.
Hinton’s energy and effort were on full display early in the third quarter on a magnificent steal. He raced across the court to steal a pass and somehow flipped it into the air behind his back to a teammate while tumbling into the crowd.
Curie guard Elijah Pickens didn’t even seem all that impressed with the play. It’s the kind of thing he has seen his teammate do for years.
“That’s Ramean,” Pickens said. Hinton, who has signed with Southeast Missouri State, has thrown his name into the Player of the Year race with several standout performances during the first month.
“I need to get every loose ball I can,” Hinton said. “Those are the winning plays. They win or lose the game. Even when I’m tired, I don’t show it. I just keep playing hard.”
Pickens finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and three assists. The Condors (9-0) clearly were underrated in the preseason. Pickens, Nick Owens, Armond Williams Jr. and Saiveon Williams aren’t major-college prospects, but they have proved to be excellent high school basketball players.
“We were definitely overlooked,” Pickens said. “They don’t give us as much respect as we deserve.”
The Condors now are taking their respect. They never trailed against the North Stars (10-2) and took control in the fourth quarter, largely by containing St. Charles North’s Connor Linke and Luke Scheffers.
“We tried to wear [Scheffers] down with a lot of pressure,” Curie coach Mike Oliver said. “He’s the engine that gets them started. [Linke] was a handful, so we just wanted to battle him and make him take tough shots.”
Linke, a 6-9 senior, emerged as a legitimate college prospect at last season’s tournament. He signed with Bradley last month and has developed into a genuine difference-maker.
The Condors did more than make Linke take tough shots. They basically kept him from taking shots. Linke was 3-for-3 from the field in the first half but didn’t take a shot in the second half. He finished with nine points, 11 rebounds and six blocks, including an outstanding block of a Curie dunk attempt.
“Don’t let him score,” Hinton said. “Don’t let him do what he wants, and don’t let him get comfortable. We did what the coaches asked us to do.”
Saiveon Williams had 10 points for the Condors, who outrebounded St. Charles North 42-26.
Scheffers, Colin Nelson and Thomas Kellen each scored eight points for the North Stars.
Curie advances to face Joliet West, a 71-66 winner against No. 25 Simeon, in the semifinals at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. The title game is played at 9 p.m. Saturday. The Condors are one of the area’s few remaining undefeated teams and winning the tournament likely would give them the top spot in the Super 25.
“There’s no pressure,” Oliver said. “We like to be in this situation. We try to make the program consistent every year with our defense and how we do things on and off the court.” ✶