CHAMPAIGN -- His injured ankle may have only been at "80%," but Tracy Abrams still led Mount Carmel to a hard-fought 68-62 overtime victory over Peoria Central at Assembly Hall.
Abrams, a 2011 commit to Illinois, had 17 points and eight rebounds in the contest.
"It feels really good. It gave me motivation to go out and play hard," Abrams said of getting the chance to play on his future home court.
Abrams just recently returned to play after hurting his ankle, and even rushed his rehabilitation so he could play sooner, his coach Mike Flaherty said.
Because of that, his ankle is limiting his explosiveness on the floor.
"Once the ankle gets back to 100%, his outside game has really improved," Flaherty said. "He'll be very difficult for people to guard on the high school level and beyond."
Flaherty added: "He just doesn't have that step, a lot of those guys would not have been able to stay in front of him if he's in his normal physical health."
Antonio "BoBo" Drummond had 14 points for Peoria Central. Drummond is one of Illinois' top guards in the class of 2012, has already been offered a scholarship by the Illini.
"I feel like he was pretty solid, running the point. I see myself playing with him. It's not really a problem," Abrams said.
Photo: Mt. Carmel's Tracy Abrams is defended by Brooks' Keenan Smith during the CPS 2009 Shootout. (Photo for the Tribune / Warren Skalski)
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