A 6-foot-5 senior swingman for the Sacred Heart-Griffin boys basketball team, Hawkinson scored 21 points, hauled in 13 rebounds and handed out three assists to earn most valuable player honors as he led the Cyclones to an impressive 65-51 win over Chaminade in the finale of the Southern Illinois Classic Shootout on Saturday at the Schott Center on the campus of Althoff High.

Hawkinson was awarded an honorary ball after the game to commemorate his MVP performance. He received a similar prize after his 33 point, 17 rebound effort against CBC last week at the Highland Shootout.

“My mom has a wall of my accomplishments back at the crib,” Hawkinson said with a smile.

The reigning Illinois Class 3A state champion, Springfield’s Sacred Heart-Griffin (17-0) has won 24 games in a row and 52 of its last 53. The Cyclones are an absolute monster and wasted little time giving the Red Devils a taste.

The No. 4 large school in the STLhighschoolsports.com rankings, Chaminade (11-2) scored the first bucket of the game when senior guard Nilavan Daniels dropped in a runner. Sacred Heart-Griffin promptly went on a 12-2 run and took a 17-8 lead into the second quarter.

The Cyclones never led by more than 10 in the period, but it was hard for the Red Devils to make any headway. Hawkinson was a force on the glass and in the paint. He neutralized any height advantage that Chaminade’s 6-foot-10 sophomore center Ben Winker could provide. There were few second-chance points to be had. The Red Devils had to rely on their long-range shooting to keep them in it.

Daniels was again their most consistent scorer as he finished with 19 points and four rebounds. Senior point guard and Southeast Missouri State recruit BJ Ward had 17 points, five rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block. His 3-pointer in the last minute of second quarter cut the deficit to 27-24.

But Sacred Heart-Griffin got a triple of its own from senior guard Will Hamilton right before the buzzer to make it 30-24 headed into halftime.

“It was a physical game. It was probably the most physical game we’ve had recently,” Hawkinson said. “They’re a good team. They had good shooters, but we got the job done and did what we needed to do.”

Chaminade gave itself a chance in the third quarter. Junior forward My’Kel Rachel started in place of freshman forward Jamison White, who picked up three fouls in the first half and the Red Devils were able to get some flow.

Senior guard Sam Piontek knocked down a jumper on their first possession. Daniels hit from long range to trim the lead to 31-29 with 6 minutes and 21 seconds in the third.

Daniels then scored a layup and drew a foul that cut the lead to 32-31 with 5:45 in the period. His free throw was off target and the Cyclones responded with a 6-0 run for some breathing room as senior guard Jake Hamilton dropped in a pair of layups around a Hawkinson bucket. Jake Hamilton finished with 18 points, five rebounds and two assists.

Piontek ended the scoreless streak to make it 38-33, but back-to-back wide open 3-pointers by senior guard Keshon Singleton ballooned the lead to 44-33, forcing Chaminade to call timeout with 2:08 left in the third.

What had been a one-point deficit had suddenly turned into an 11-point hole.

“We’ve got state champions. They’ve been in every situation,” Sacred Heart-Griffin coach Tim Allen said. “They’ve been down 10 with two minutes to go and won the game. They’ve been down in the state championship game and won the game. They’re ready for this.”

Chaminade kept battling and managed to cut the lead to 47-38 after Daniels scored a layup with 5:44 to play in the fourth quarter, but that was as close as it would get. Hawkinson continued to make life miserable for the Red Devils under the bucket before he fouled out with 2:19 remaining. Chaminade's 10-game winning streak was over.

“At the end of the day you want to see what you’ve got and you do that by playing against the best competition you can,” Chaminade coach Frank Bennett said. “You tip your hat to them because they’ve got some seniors that have won a lot. Teams like that typically capitalize on mistakes that you make.”

The Red Devils have one day to make adjustments before jumping right back into the fray when they play East St. Louis on Monday night at Lindenwood-Belleville. The Flyers are coming off a 77-53 loss at Moline and will be playing on their home court as their school gym is currently under construction.

“That’ll be another physical one and we’ll have to be ready to compete and play,” Bennett said. “If we do that we’ll have a shot at winning. If we don’t, we’ll lose.”

Sacred Heart-Griffin’s incredible season continues next week against an excellent Metamora team before it travels to Miami next weekend for a pair of showcase games. Primarily known for its football dominance over the years, Sacred Heart-Griffin has put itself on the map as a basketball program to be reckoned with the last season and a half. The Cyclones are just trying to enjoy the ride while they can.

“It’s awesome. It’s my senior year, it couldn’t go any better,” Hawkinson said. “For us to be one of the only undefeated teams in the state is big time. We know we have tough games each and every week. We take it one game at a time and enjoy the moment. In about six weeks we’ll have just memories of this. So make the best of it and play to the best of our abilities.”