Lincoln-Way East’s Jacob Alexander stands out

Even before Jacob AlexanderLincoln-Way East already had a dynamic core of sophomores.

But differently B.J. Powell and the wounded Karson ThomasThe 6-foot-10 forward may not attract much attention in college, although he is starting to emerge as a serious option in basketball.

The reason for this is that Alexander, who started playing football in the first grade, opened many horizons defensively.

“I got an offer from Illinois in December — before a basketball game, actually — and I’m starting to talk to Iowa,” Alexander said. “I grew up playing basketball, but I just started playing football.

“For me it was just gone.”

Alexander continues to rise in basketball and had 13 points and six rebounds for the Griffins, who beat the SouthWest Suburban Blue 65-52 against Sandburg on Friday night in Frankfort.

He also had 14 points in a 63-56 loss to Andrew in conference play on Feb. 7. The win over Sandburg ended a six-game losing streak for Lincoln-Way East (16-11, 2-6).

Powell, who had 12 points and 10 assists against Sandburg, hopes Alexander continues to play well, especially in Thomas’ absence.

“Defense, rebounding, scoring, he brings everything,” Powell said.

Powell has offers from Radford, South Carolina State and Howard and is also drawing interest from Michigan, Wake Forest and Vanderbilt. He knows a little bit about recruiting.

“I knew he would be interested in football,” Powell said. “Look at him. I was in the stands cheering for him in the fall.”

Now the players in the stands can be seen cheering for Alexander as he enters the field.

“The start of the season was a bit difficult for me coming back from football,” he said. “But I started moving towards basketball and it got a lot better.”

Two sports for Abrams

Eisenhower’s A.J. Abrams He was interested in playing both football and basketball in college. The problem was that universities wanted him for one or the other.

But Iowa Central Community College was an exception; The Tritons were inviting him to both sports. Abrams officially signed the contract on February 7.

“They were the first people to bid on both,” Abrams said. “A lot of schools don’t have that option. They came and visited me, and I toured the school virtually.”

The Iowa Central football team finished 7-4 and won its 13th consecutive bowl game with a 44-9 victory over Snow. of Morgan Park Aaron Warrenof Marist Michael BartolottaAndrew’s Jonathan Young and TF North michael washington There are local players in the squad.

In basketball, Iowa Central has a 5-18 record.

Abrams, the South Suburban Red’s final player of the year, and the Cardinals (23-6) continue their 11-game winning streak. It’s a long way from opening the season with a missing roster after Abrams was injured in a 77-37 loss to Marist on Nov. 20 at Blue Island.

“We all finally got together and started getting to know each other,” Abrams said. “The first game was just a wake-up call for us. We came back better and got our entire team healthy.”

super seeds

If the seeds are correct, there could be plenty of action involving Southland teams in the regional championship games on March 1.

Homewood-Flossmoor and Marist took first and second place, respectively, in the Class 4A Rich County Sectional. Mount Carmel took first place and De La Salle took second place in the Class 3A Hinsdale South Sectional.

In the Class 3A Thornton Sectional, Thornton is in first place and Brother Rice is in second place.

Beecher, which entered this week as the only undefeated team in the state, earned first place in the lower division of the Class 2A Clifton Central Sectional.

Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.