Michael Nee and his Glenbard East teammates gathered on the court to pass out tournament championship medals.

Practice for March?

The Rams, with sky-high expectations, aspire to it. With good reason.

Glenbard East has a Division I guard in Nee, who committed to South Dakota in August. He’s one of eight seniors, four of them starters, back from a 22-win regional champion. Toss in an impact transfer and the ingredients are there for a run to Champaign.

First was the matter of taking care of business in-district.

The Rams did that Wednesday, turning away a tough challenge from Glenbard West on its home court for a 50-43 win to take the District 87 championship.

Glenbard East (3-0), which had dropped its last eight games with Glenbard West (0-3), including a sectional semifinal last year, beat the Hilltoppers for the first time since 2017.

“100%, winning this tournament is big. I’ve been doing this for a while and we’ve never won it. We never even have come close, honestly,” Nee said. “It feels great to get it. This is just the start.”

Nee had 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists, Keenan House had 13 points and Jacob Marynowski added nine points for Glenbard East.

Marynowski’s 3-pointer in the final minute of the first half gave the Rams the lead for good.

For Glenbard West, Josh Abushanab scored 12 points, eight in the fourth quarter. Jacob Harvanek and Finn Sheeley each scored nine points on three 3-pointers for the Hilltoppers.

Nee, one of the state’s better shooters, was just 2-for-9 from 3-point range on Wednesday. But he didn’t force his shot, and showcased an all-around game.

He also closed well. Nee hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the final minute of the first quarter, and two free throws to send Glenbard East into halftime ahead 28-23. And then Nee made four free throws in the fourth quarter to turn away a late Glenbard West comeback.

“Shots are going to fall, happens, you have your off days, no matter if shots fall you have to stay positive, get teammates involved,” Nee said. “I’m glad I was able to facilitate even though shots were not falling.”

Nee, also a football quarterback, is used to facilitating. His physicality showed. Nee since last basketball season has grown an inch or two, added 10 pounds.

“The weight room has been a big thing for me,” Nee said. “When you want to play at the next level, that’s a big thing you have to do is take care of your body. That’s been a main focus of mine in the offseason.”

“That is a step in his game – Michael has grown," Glenbard East coach Eric Kelly said. “He’s about 6-3, he’s put on weight, you saw that effect. He can take contact ball handling, he’s been over seven rebounds in every game. He’s a smart player. It’s a pleasure to coach a kid like that.”

House, a 6-foot-2 guard and transfer from Bolingbrook, scored nine of his 13 points in the second half. House’s steal and dunk sent the Rams into the fourth quarter with their biggest lead, 40-30.

“He brings something that we have not had, is an athlete with size and skill,” Kelly said. “He can get to the free throw line, he can make a jump shot and he’s such a great kid, anything we ask him to do he’ll do. He was with us all summer so we had a chance to build some chemistry. The sky is the limit for him and this team.”

Glenbard West, meanwhile, is still figuring things out coming off a sectional championship.

The Hilltoppers, eschewing their trademark 1-3-1 for man-to-man, slowed Glenbard East down in the halfcourt for much of the game.

A.J. Rayford’s free throws gave the Hilltoppers a 20-17 lead with 5:12 left in the first half.

“When we were settled defensively we definitely held our shell in our man-to-man and the kids competed, battled for rebounds and we made them take difficult shots,” Glenbard West coach Jason Opoka said. “We felt our best way to be successful today was to play them man-to-man.”

Rayford, a football quarterback, is one of several Glenbard West football players getting acclimated to the winter sport.

“Five of our top nine are football kids and we just got them back,” Opoka said. “In a couple weeks, week or two down the road, we’ll be where we need to be.”

Glenbard East went through a few lean years at the start of the decade, but Nee and this senior class have built it back up. Now they’re eyeing the program’s first state trip since 2010.

“We have such a great core of guys that I’ve been around,” Nee said. “It’s all been building up toward this season. Super excited.”

https://www.shawlocal.com/my-suburban-life/2025/11/27/south-dakota-commit-michael-nee-glenbard-east-feel-sky-is-the-limit-turn-away-glenbard-west/