Bosco Survives Late Kickapoo Run to Advance to 5th Place Game

By: Skylan Akins/SWMOSports

There’s a certain kind of frustration that only the Tournament of Champions can hand you — the kind where you’re right there, trading haymakers with elite competition, but the margin between “statement win” and “tough lesson” is a handful of possessions.

That was the story for Kickapoo heading into the consolation semifinal.

The Chiefs came into day two carrying the emotional residue of their opening-night loss to #2 Principia — a game that flashed everything that makes Kickapoo dangerous (shot-making spurts, physicality, pace) but also exposed how thin the margin is when you give a high-level opponent extra chances and live-ball turnovers. They didn’t fold against Principia — they got hit, steadied themselves, and kept swinging. But the scoreboard still ended with Kickapoo on the wrong side, and suddenly the path through the bracket demanded perfection.

Across the floor, #38 St. John Bosco arrived with its own brand of urgency after falling to Calvary Christian in the opener. Bosco’s first-round loss didn’t change the reality: this roster is wired for March-level games in January, with long athletes, physical guards, and a featured talent who can warp a defensive game plan. But it did change the stakes. In the TOC consolation bracket, “reset game” isn’t a vibe — it’s survival.

So when Kickapoo and Bosco matched up with a spot in the 5th-place game on the line, the script was simple: Kickapoo needed to make it ugly and win the possession battle. Bosco needed to impose its length, clean up the glass, and let its top-end talent decide it.

Bosco did enough of all three.

Game Recap

Kickapoo actually struck first — and loudly.

On the opening possession, Reese Kimrey buried a three off an Elijah Nabors assist to give the Chiefs early life and the building exactly what it wanted: a fast start from the local team. The energy was real, and Kickapoo’s early rebounding gave them a chance to stack stops into momentum.

But the tone of the game shifted almost immediately once Christian Collins started living around the rim.

Bosco missed early, then Collins cleaned it up with a tip-in — and that sequence became the theme. Kickapoo could force a miss, but Bosco’s second-chance presence kept turning defensive wins into “almosts.”

The first quarter stayed tight, but Bosco’s offense began to settle when it could play through Collins and let the floor space out around him. The Chiefs were getting points by committee — layups from Brock Thompson, paint touches from Vincent Mhire, and spurts from the perimeter — but Bosco’s ability to manufacture extra possessions kept Kickapoo from ever feeling fully in control.

The second quarter was the swing.

Bosco used a turnover into a quick three from Max Ellis to stretch the lead, then the Braves started winning the “hidden” parts of the game: rebounds, loose balls, and free throw trips. Kickapoo kept punching back — Will Winn finished inside and Kimrey repeatedly broke the first line of defense — but Bosco’s size and length showed every time the Chiefs had to score over the top.

By halftime, it was still a manageable game, but the math was starting to lean Bosco’s way: more rebounds, more second chances, and Collins increasingly dictating where shots came from.

Kickapoo made its push in the third.

A three from Brayden Rubidoux and another from Jeydon Suddarth brought the Chiefs back into striking distance. Thompson also gave Kickapoo a jolt by converting in transition after a steal — the exact type of chaotic moment the Chiefs needed to tilt the game.

But every time Kickapoo threatened to flip the momentum, Bosco answered with a grown-man possession: offensive rebound, putback, free throws, repeat.

In the fourth, Kickapoo tried to climb back with quick scores — Winn’s dunk and late threes from Mhire and Nabors gave the crowd one last surge.

Bosco didn’t panic. The Braves simply closed the game the way physical teams close games: make free throws, rebound misses, and keep the ball in the hands of your best player.

Final: St. John Bosco 57, Kickapoo 48.

Players of the Game

Christian Collins, St. John Bosco

This was the kind of “quiet dominance” that shows up loud in the film room.

Collins finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds, and the stats only tell part of it. What makes Collins special is how little space he needs to impact a game. Even when Kickapoo defended him well on the catch, he still generated offense through second efforts — tip-ins, offensive boards, quick seals, and putbacks that demoralize a defense because they come after you already forced a miss.

In a game where neither team shot great overall, Collins was the stabilizer — the guy who made Bosco’s offense sustainable when possessions got chaotic.

Reese Kimrey, Kickapoo

Kimrey was the engine that kept Kickapoo within reach.

He led the Chiefs with 13 points, hit the early three that lifted the building, and consistently created advantages with his first step and downhill pressure. When Kickapoo needed a clean possession — when the offense stalled and the moment started to drift — Kimrey was the one who could get to a spot and make something happen.

Kickapoo didn’t lose because Kimrey wasn’t good enough — they lost because the possession battle and rebounding math tilted against them. Kimrey was the reason it stayed competitive as long as it did.

Box Score

St. John Bosco (57)

Player	PTS	FG	3FG	FT	REB	AST
Christian Collins	20	7-15	1-3	5-5	12	3
Max Ellis	13	5-11	2-7	1-3	7	2
Aaron Anderson	9	2-6	2-5	3-3	5	2
Dominic Perfetti	8	3-6	0-1	2-4	3	2
Chace Patterson	5	2-4	1-1	0-0	1	0
Gavin Dean-Moss	2	0-4	0-1	2-4	3	1
Team Totals	57	19-49	6-19	13-19	37	10

Kickapoo (48)

Player	PTS	FG	3FG	FT	REB	AST
Reese Kimrey	13	4-9	1-2	4-6	1	3
Brock Thompson	9	3-5	0-0	3-6	6	1
Elijah Nabors	6	2-5	2-4	0-0	1	2
Will Winn	6	3-7	0-0	0-0	8	1
Vincent Mhire	7	3-4	1-1	0-0	2	1
Jeydon Suddarth	4	1-4	1-3	1-2	0	1
Brayden Rubidoux	3	1-2	1-2	0-0	1	0
Rylee Tan	0	0-3	0-3	0-0	1	1
Team Totals	48	17-39	6-15	8-14	23	10

What’s Next

The bracket now ties directly into what we already know from the Logan-Rogersville vs. Wheeler game earlier today:

• Logan-Rogersville will play the winner of Kickapoo vs. St. John Bosco tomorrow at 4:00 PM in the Consolation Championship (5th place).  That means St. John Bosco advances to face Rogersville for 5th.

• Wheeler will play the loser of Kickapoo vs. St. John Bosco tomorrow at 2:30 PM for 7th place. That means Kickapoo drops into the 7th-place game vs. Wheeler.

Short Preview: 5th & 7th Place Games

7th Place (2:30) — Wheeler vs. Kickapoo

This is a fascinating styles clash: Wheeler’s athletes and rim pressure vs. Kickapoo’s guard-driven pace and shot-making. Kickapoo has to win the possession margin — fewer turnovers, cleaner rebounds — because Wheeler can flip a game with transition dunks in a hurry. On the other side, if Wheeler can keep Kimrey out of rhythm and force Kickapoo into contested threes late in the clock, the Bearcats’ physical edge starts to show.

5th Place (4:00) — Logan-Rogersville vs. St. John Bosco

Rogersville just proved it can survive late-game chaos and win a close one. Bosco, meanwhile, brings the most “problem-solving” piece in the game with Collins.

 If Rogersville can keep it a one-shot possession game and avoid getting crushed on the glass, they’ve got a real shot. But if Collins starts stacking second chances early, Bosco can suffocate momentum fast.