Brother Rice’s Marcos Gonzales knows he will be spending the early part of 2025 in pain. The senior guard injured his right ankle Dec. 27 against Maine South in the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic quarterfinals. He called it a “tweak,” but at the time, it appeared to be serious. “I hurt it pretty good,” he said. “It swelled up. I couldn’t really walk on it the next day. It started to bruise up. It was black and purple and all types of colors. “It looked like something that would keep me out for two months. It’s black, brown, blue and a bunch of other colors.” The Citadel recruit, who is the leading scorer for the Crusaders, realizes that his ankle is going to hurt for a while. But he’s also planning to keep suiting up. “It’s a mental thing you have to play through it,” he said. “The physical pain is always going to be there. With the mental side, you have to tell yourself you are going to be OK, even if you are not.” Gonzales missed the tournament semifinal game Dec. 28 because he couldn’t walk that morning. With the help of ice, elevation and exercises, he played in Monday’s championship game. And he didn’t miss a beat, either. Gonzales tallied 24 points, seven rebounds and two assists for the Crusaders in a 52-51 loss to the host Red Devils. Brother Rice’s Marcos Gonzales (3) reaches for a rebound against the host Red Devils during the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic championship game on Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. (James C. Svehla / Daily Southtown) Caden Workman and John Mikrut added seven points apiece for Brother Rice (13-1), the last unbeaten team in the Southland. Workman and KJ Morris each contributed five assists. Vincas Buzelis, the younger brother of Chicago Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis, totaled 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists for Hinsdale Central (12-2) and was named tournament MVP. Gonzales and Jack Weigus were all-tournament team selections. If there was an all-guts team in the tournament, Workman would nominate Gonzales for MVP. “I saw his ankle and it was pretty nasty,” Workman said of Gonzales. “I’ve known him forever, and I knew this was a big game. If he can walk, he’s going to play. “I’ve pretty much seen it all from him.” Brother Rice’s Caden Workman (21) takes a shot as Hinsdale Central’s Tyler Thick in the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic championship game on Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. (James C. Svehla / Daily Southtown) Gonzales scored 12 points in the final eight minutes of the game. He drove into traffic but missed the potential winning shot as Brother Rice players, coaches and fans screamed he was fouled. “I got the rebound and I liked that we didn’t call timeout,” Gonzales said. “They weren’t calling fouls all game. I felt like I got hit but it wasn’t called. You can’t complain about that. “I just have to finish next time. They put the ball in my hands and it didn’t come out the way we wanted it to, but obviously next time, it’s going to come out the way we want it to.” Buzelis scored 40 points in a 78-77 overtime win over Niles North that advanced Hinsdale Central to the championship game, so the Crusaders had their work cut out for them. Brother Rice’s KJ Morris (1) reaches for a rebound against the host Red Devils during the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic championship game on Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. (James C. Svehla / Daily Southtown) Morris and Mikrut were in charge of making sure Buzelis didn’t erupt like that again, and Buzelis was actually held scoreless in the third quarter. “Brother Rice had a good scheme on Vincas and those kids are really, really tough,” Hinsdale Central coach Nick Latorre said. “They both did a great job on him, and it was a team effort as well.” Now that the Crusaders have a loss out of the way, it’s time to recharge, according to Gonzales. “I’ve been in this situation for a long time,” he said. “You just have to reset going into the new year. “We will regroup in practice and see what we can focus on. We’ll start from scratch and do what we can do to get better.” Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.