Brian Johnson of the Spartans was earned MVP honors at the Glenbrook North-St. Patrick Thanksgiving Tournament. PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEORGE PFOERTNER
Brian Johnson quickly has emerged as a player to watch.
The 6-foot-5 junior forward turned some heads in leading Glenbrook North to a first-place finish in the GBN/St. Patrick Thanksgiving Tournament last week.
Johnson, who averaged 14.5 points per game in the four-game set, was rewarded for his play. He was named the tourney MVP.
He came up with a team-high 17 points in a 55-52 victory over De La Salle in the title game at St. Patrick on Nov. 24. His night also included two rebounds and three assists.
Johnson finished in double figures in each game. In the tourney opener — a 67-64 overtime win over Niles West on Nov. 20 — he contributed 15 points to go along with three rebounds and three assists.
On Nov. 21, in a 51-43 win over Hersey, Johnson tallied 11 points, while he scored 15 in a 45-44 victory over Hoffman Estates on Nov. 22.
GBN also received solid play from Sean Merrigan, Max Knebelkamp, Michael Roane, Frank Siegien, Evan Barnes and Kellen Witherell.
Merrigan put 16 points, three rebounds and two assists on the stat sheet against De La Salle. He had 11 points and five rebounds against Hersey.
Knebelkamp had a solid debut. In the OT win over Niles West, he amassed 12 points, three rebounds and six assists. Against Hersey, he had 14 points.
Roane was a bright spot, averaging 7.0 rebounds per game. He finished with eight points and six rebounds in the final. Against Hoffman Estates, he seven points and 10 rebounds.
Siegien’s best outing came against Hoffman Estates: nine points, three rebounds. He also had seven points and four rebounds against Hersey.
Barnes had five points and five assists against Hersey, while he wound up with five points, four rebounds and three assists against Hoffman Estates.
Witherell was the hero in opening game. He scored eight of his team’s final nine points in the OT win over Niles West.
Brian Johnson gets fouled during GBN’s game against Hoffman Estates. PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEORGE PFOERTNER