Boys basketball start the year at 1-3 after Washington tournament

Urbana starts this year’s basketball season 1-3 after a trip up to The Kevin Brown Memorial Tournament of Champions in Washington, Illinois.

St. Rita

The first game of the season was a difficult one, as the Tigers were matched up with the St. Rita Mustangs. The Mustangs are one of the best teams in Illinois and have at least three potential D1 players. Urbana did its best to hang around, even outscoring St. Rita in the third quarter. Sophomore Malcolm Morris showed some flashes against St. Rita’s, but the talent of the Mustangs was too much as the Tigers fell 76-47.

Denmark-Olar

Game two was a very different story as the Tigers took care of business against Denmark-Olar, a team with another D1 commit. It was a dominant game from senior Jermontre Young, as he dropped 31 points and six assists. Senior Kevin Kobb also made his presence felt with 21 of his own. These two efforts combined helped lead the Tigers to a 74-66 win.

Washington

Game three would not be as sweet as the Tigers were forced to face the hometown team. Armed with the crowd, the Panthers took control early and never really gave it up. Urbana, missing one of its star players due to a 2-game suspension, would keep around but could never fully close the gap. Jermontre Young would lead the team in scoring once again with 19 as the Tigers fell 68-55.

Tinley Park

Fourth and final game of the Tournament Of Champions was a battle. Again without Morris, the Tigers struggled to get their offense going. Young would still put up an impressive 22 points to keep Urbana in it, but a hot start by Tinley Park ended up being the deciding factor as they took home the win 69-54.

Despite a 1-3 start, the Tigers showed flashes each game. Young and Cobb looked strong as lead guards, and with Morris back in the lineup, Urbana could do some damage in the Big 12.