Boys Basketball: Minnesota commit Cameron Christie, Rolling Meadows roll past Lyons to Jack Tosh title

ELMHURST – Cameron Christie carried a chip on his shoulder.

Christie, Rolling Meadows’ 6-foot-6 senior guard and a Minnesota recruit, is one of the top three seniors in the state. The Mustangs have only one loss this season and that was by one point without 6-foot-7 Tsvet Sotirov.

Still, some considered Rolling Meadows the team with the most to prove during holiday tournament week. That opinion stuck with Christie.

“This is the top tournament in the state, a really tough tournament with a lot of good teams here, but we were confident coming in,” Christie said. “We felt we had to prove some people wrong. And I feel we did a good job of it.”

Indeed, they did.

Christie put the finishing touches on a tournament MVP performance with 26 points and a fine all-around game. Rolling Meadows never trailed in blowing past previously undefeated Lyons Township 56-42 to win the 48th Jack Tosh Holiday Classic championship Dec. 30 at York.

It was Rolling Meadows’ first Tosh title, and Christie believes more championships could be coming this year. Ian Miletic and Mark Nikolich-Wilson each added 11 points for the Mustangs (16-1), and all five starters hit at least one 3-pointer.

“We have a lot of potential,” said Christie, who shot 9-for-14, made four of the Mustangs’ nine 3-pointers and had seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. “As long as we keep playing hard and don’t get ahead of ourselves and stay in the moment we have a good chance to go down to state in March.”

The sweet-shooting Christie, who averaged 26.4 points over five games, made certain to assert himself at the start of every quarter Dec. 30.

He knocked down a pull-up 3-pointer, came off a screen for a 17-footer and made three free throws after he was fouled in the game’s first four minutes. He then blocked a Lyons’ 3-point attempt and assisted on a Miletic 3-pointer in transition for a 13-4 start.

Christie hit a jumper off a screen and had a strong driving layup in the first minute and change of the second quarter and connected on a baseline jumper on Rolling Meadows’ first possession out of halftime.

“Obviously we wanted Cam to be Cam. The bigger the game, the better he shines,” Rolling Meadows coach Kevin Katovich said. “We knew going in that as long as he is on our team wearing No. 24, we have a chance to beat anybody.”

Lyons (12-1) had beaten everybody coming in, further opening eyes with a lethal transition game and physicality that wore on teams.

But nothing came easy for the Lions on Dec. 30 against a long, strong opponent. Lyons shot only 1-for-16 from 3-point range, and Rolling Meadows battled Lyons to a standstill on the glass. Penn recruit Nik Polonowski scored a team-high 16 points, but it came on 5 of 19 shooting. Jackson Niego, another strong shooter, shot 2 for 14.

Indicative of the kind of night it was offensively, Lyons had a layup that was rolling in during the third quarter waved off when a player touched the net for offensive goaltending.

“When we weren’t able to get stops, they were able to get back and set their defense – and they are big,” Lyons coach Tom Sloan said. “Some of the things we have been able to get at the rim were a little more difficult when you have 6-foot-7, 6-8 across the lane. And we also had good looks from shooters that just didn’t go in.”

The Lions were attempting to become the third West Suburban Silver team to win a tournament championship during the holidays. They would have joined Downers Grove North and Hinsdale Central with the victory. The Lions reached their second straight Tosh final with a defense that had allowed an average of 38 points over four games.

But Rolling Meadows, much more than just Christie, was too potent an offense to contain. The Mustangs led 29-20 at the half, and a Sotirov 3-pointer started a 10-0 run that blew the game open. Rolling Meadows led 45-25 early in the fourth. The Mustangs shot 55.3% from the floor and 9 for 22 from long distance.

“Christie got his points, but they’re more than just him,” Sloan said. “They have really good size, they have really good length. It was a great opponent for us to play in a big environment. Hopefully we get to play them again.”

Carter Reid was Lyons’ biggest bright spot off the bench with 12 points and eight rebounds.

Rolling Meadows will continue to have an opportunity to showcase itself in a challenging January. The Mustangs play Joliet West and downstate power Moline this month.

“This is a really good win for us, shows what we’re made of,” Christie said, “and that we can compete with the state’s best.”