The overnight trip from Wisconsin to Highland Illinois had no obvious affect on Patrick Baldwin Jr. He led the Chargers of Hamilton Wisconsin to a convincing 70-57 win over the Red Devils, and frankly he did it with ease. His game high 29 points was enough to win him MVP of the game.

Baldwin is a 6’9 highly recruited forward in the class of 2021. To designate him to one position in misleading though. The junior’s skills allow him to shoot from anywhere on the court, block any attempt of laying the ball up, dunking the ball effortlessly, and dribbling the basketball with complete control. His moves with the basketball are NBA level and show why he is so highly touted. The game MVP is considered the number two player in class of 2021 and is undecided on where he will attend college.

The Red Devils started off hot on offense but couldn’t get it going after a quick 6-0 lead. Out the gates, Hamilton won the tip, but two Chaminade defensive stands put the team in position to hit two threes and go up early. From there, it was all Hamilton. The team was able to put the ball in their star’s hands and let him go to work. It wasn’t just his scoring though. Baldwin could facilitate the ball and make precise cross court passes. His ability to get the ball from just past the half court line to his teammate standing on the opposite corner was impressive.

Hamilton’s success didn’t all fall on Baldwin’s shoulders though, his teammates made open threes, scored important baskets, and defended hard. Their offense was balanced but exciting. What may have been the most impressive aspect of the MVP’s game was that Chaminade senior Matteus Case was actually defending him pretty well. Case wasn’t getting beat off the bounce, nor was he being outrun. The senior guard kept up with Baldwin and gave everything he could; regardless, Patrick Baldwin Jr. made pro level moves that allowed him to score from anywhere on the court.

Chaminade’s offense was inconsistent at best. The team would make a three or drive to the paint and score, but this would be followed by three following possessions that didn’t result in much. Hamilton forced the Devils to play in the half court and didn’t allow for Chaminade to get their patent past paced offense going. The team would have success at times. Junior Jaden Winfield came off the bench in the first half and gave the team a needed eight points. Offensively, Luke Kasubke led Chaminade with fifteen points, but he was never able to get his three-point shooting going. Overall, the team was beat by a nationally ranked squad that has a future lottery pick star leading them.

The Devils will go into what could be their biggest test of the season on Tuesday January 14^th against Christian Brothers College. Both teams are coming off loses at the Highland shootout, but CBC seems to be at a turning point in their season as they are coming off two dramatic loses, one to DeSmet on Friday night and one to Whitney Young of Chicago on Saturday night. CBC appears to be a desperate team that is in need of a big win on Tuesday night. These can be the sort of teams that are the most dangerous but the most prone to error. Their back looks to be against the wall, and it will be up to the Red Devils to either cement themselves as the front runners for class 5, or let the door creak open for the team that wears purple and gold to make their case as the best squad in the conference and the class.

The Highland Shootout is one of the premiere basketball events every year throughout the Midwest. Highland’s optimist club sponsors the shootout, and they do a fantastic job of putting together a great basketball schedule every year. This year specifically, the last five games were slated as must-see matchups, and they all delivered. The last five games went as followed, DeSmet vs Collinsille, Trinity vs Mehlville, Chaminade vs Hamilton, Vashon vs Simeon (Chicago), and CBC vs Whitney Young (Chicago). The event included all the top ten players from the class of 2020 in Missouri and was highlighted by the Duke vs UNC recruit matchup of DJ Steward of Whitney Young (Duke) and Caleb Love of CBC (UNC).

Aside from great basketball, the group takes care of every need, from lots of locker room space, plenty of access for the media, a top class hospitality room, to even a staff that helped old people get their cars in the icy weather. Although the Devils didn’t get the result they wanted, the Highland Shootout continues to be one of the highlights of the season every year.

Overall Record: 9-1

MCC: 2-0

Next Game: Tuesday January 14^th, 6:00 at Chaminade vs. CBC.