Between the Shipyard Showdown at Seneca and the Plano Christmas Classic, many Times-area boys basketball players recorded top tournament performances.

Ottawa senior Owen Sanders

Despite playing at less than 100% and missing a game at Plano, Sanders led the Pirates with 19 points per game and 9.3 rebounds per game and earned a spot on the all-tournament team.

“Owen had a productive Plano Christmas Classic,” Ottawa coach Mark Cooper said. “He was a presence defensively and rebounded the ball at a high rate. Even though he was battling through illness, I thought he was a force on the court offensively, too.”

Streator senior Joe Hoekstra

In the four games at Plano, Hoekstra led the Bulldogs with 13.8 ppg and 12 rpg while hitting 54% of his field goal attempts. His 48 rebounds led all players at the Classic.

“Joe had an outstanding Plano Christmas Classic,“ Streator coach Beau Doty said. ”Joe has an unbelievable motor, great hands and excellent timing – all of those things add up to an elite rebounder. He also scored the ball efficiently for us and is currently averaging a double-double of over 12 points and 11 rebounds per game. His presence helps make us formidable in the paint and is a big reason we have outrebounded teams 419-284 through the first 12 games of the season.”

Woodland sophomore Nate Berry and junior Nolan Price

Berry finished second at the Shipyard in scoring (84 points) and 3-pointers made (14) while hitting 90% of his free-throw attempts in four games for the Warriors and earned a spot on the all-tournament team. Price ended the event eighth in scoring (63 points) while knocking down a tournament-best 16 3s.

“Nate showed just how high his ceiling can be with a breakout tournament, highlighted by a 35-point career-high in the opener against Serena,” Woodland coach Connor Kaminke said. “His ability to score at all three levels and do it as a sophomore underscores both his skill and the upside he has to become a special player for this program over the next two and a half seasons.

“Nolan provided a veteran counterbalance and is one of the most talented shooters I have had the pleasure to coach. When he is hitting shots, he becomes one of the most dominant players on the floor. His combination of shooting, confidence and leadership is exactly what you look for from a veteran guard during tournament play and what we will continue to need heading towards the postseason.”

Newark seniors Reggie Chapman and Cody Kulbartz

Point guard Reggie Chapman (16.8 ppg, 3 rpg, 10 assists) and big man Cody Kulbartz (13.5 ppg, 11.3 rpg) were a solid 1-2 punch for the Norsemen at Plano.

“Reggie has always done a great job creating shots for others, but this year and tournament, he really stepped up his scoring for us and his ability to handle pressure and get us into our offense,” Newark coach Kyle Anderson said. “He also did a great job defensively all tournament long applying pressure on other teams’ guards and leading our young guys.

“Cody has made a huge jump both skill-wise and physically. He was one of the best rebounders and shot blockers in the tournament and has been our defensive anchor all year. We work our offense through him a lot, and he did a great job all tournament handling double teams and different defensive looks to still get shots for himself or others.”

Flanagan-Cornell senior Logan Ruddy

Ruddy set a new Shipyard Showdown Tournament scoring record with 123 total points for the Falcons, shattering the old record of 109 set in 2016 by Dwight’s Justin Fox, and he earned all-tournament honors.

“I have been very fortunate to have the honor to coach Logan over the past four years,” F-C coach Brian Yoder said. “His offensive play at the Shipyard was one of the most impressive four-game scoring streaks we have had the great fortune to observe. Not only did he score the ball at an alarming rate, but he also rebounded it at a very high level in averaging over 15 rebounds per game. We are looking forward to the second half of the season and hope we can carry the momentum we created with two wins in the Shipyard to a couple more wins in 2026.”

Sandwich senior Nick Michalek

Michalek averaged 15.8 points (42% of the team’s scoring) and grabbed 4.5 rebounds for the Indians at Plano.

“Nick was our spark at the Plano Christmas Classic,” Sandwich coach Matt Chalfin said. “He was top 10 in points scored for the tournament and had the task of defending the other team’s best guard every night. His leadership through his play and body language led us to a huge upset win versus No. 3-seed Marmion in the opening round. I’m looking forward to seeing how he finishes the season.”