SKOKIE – Northwestern basketball recruit Drew Crawford scored 16 points, grabbed six rebounds and had two blocks in the Chicago High School Classic at Niles North High School on Friday.

The senior at Naperville Central High School had scored nine points at the half and finished shooting 6-of-10 from the floor, including one of four from beyond the arc.

His North Team was outscored 64-32 in the final 14 and a half minutes, falling to the South Team 149-138.

“It was a lot of fun,” Crawford said. “Just getting out there with a bunch of guys I play with. It’s all the best players in the state, so it’s a lot of fun to just go out there and show what I can do.”

The game featured three other players bound for Big Ten schools. Illinois Mr. Basketball Player of the Year Brandon Paul, who won the game’s slam dunk competition earlier in the night, scored 18 points. He is heading to Illinois next season.

Joe Bertrand, who will also be going to Champaign next season, added seven points for the North, and Diamond Taylor, who is off to Wisconsin, scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the South.

Crawford also competed in the 3-point contest at the beginning of the night. He hit four of the five shots on his final rack, but scored only six points after going 2-for-10 to start the competition. He failed to advance to the semifinals.

OBSERVATIONS:

– At 6-foot-5, Crawford is going to be bouncing between shooting guard and small forward. His wingspan is incredibly long. Look for him to be a disruptive force at the top of the Wildcats’ 1-3-1 zone next season.

– Crawford more than once tried to dunk over his opponents, something NU fans will be excited to hear.