Area teams and players performed well over the holidays in various tournaments.
The La Salle-Peru boys basketball team placed third in the Plano Christmas Classic, Hall finished fourth in the Seneca Shipyard Showdown and Fieldcrest took fourth at the State Farm Holiday Classic.
In girls tournaments, Princeton continued the best start in program history by winning the Ottawa Holiday Tournament, St. Bede placed second in its own Lady Bruins Christmas Classic and Hall and Bureau Valley each went 3-1 at the Warkins tournament at Prophetstown.
Here’s a look at the NewsTribune area’s top-performing players during holiday tournaments.
BOYS
Braden Curran, Hall
Curran was named to the all-tournament team as the Red Devils placed fourth in Seneca.
He had 15 points and seven rebounds in the semifinals and scored 13 points in the third-place game.
Kash Klendworth, Fieldcrest
Klendworth averaged 11.5 points per game to help the Knights place fourth at the State Farm Holiday Classic.
Marion Persich, La Salle-Peru
The sophomore poured in a career-high 39 points to help the Cavaliers beat the host Reapers in the Plano Christmas Classic third-place game. He also had 10 rebounds and five assists in the win.
Persich averaged 24.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4 assists for the tournament as he was named to the all-tournament team.
Gavin Stokes, La Salle-Peru
Stokes made an impact in his first high school holiday tournament as the freshman averaged 11 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists to help the Cavaliers place third in Plano.
Cole Tillman, Mendota
Tillman had a strong showing as he helped the Trojans to a fifth-place finish in Plano. He had 19 points and eight rebounds in Mendota’s 46-45 win over Ottawa in the fifth-place game.
Tillman averaged 17 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 2 assists per game and was named all-tournament.
GIRLS
Keighley Davis, Princeton
Davis was named the MVP of the Ottawa Holiday Tournament after leading the Tigresses to the title. She had 23 points, eight rebounds and six steals in the title game against Metamora. Davis averaged 15.8 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals for the tournament.
Camryn Driscoll, Princeton
Driscoll helped the undefeated Tigresses win the Ottawa tournament, averaging 15.5 points per game. She had 23 points, four steals and four rebounds against La Salle-Peru and 19 points, five rebounds and three assists against Joliet Catholic as she was named to the all-tournament team.
Libby Endress, Bureau Valley
Endress helped the Storm to a strong showing at the Warkins tournament, averaging 16.3 points per game. She had a 20-point effort against Monmouth-Roseville.
Endress was voted to the all-tournament team.
Macy Gochanour, Fieldcrest
Gochanout, like always, was a scoring machine for the Knights, averaging 22.3 points per game at the Ottawa Holiday Tournament. She poured in 34 points against IVC and scored 22 against Metamora.
Lili McClain, St. Bede
The Bruins’ senior leader helped St. Bede place second in its own tournament. She averaged 17.5 points per game for the tourney, including 23 points against Orion and 21 against Sandwich.
She was named to the all-tournament team.