A rising son: Tolu Samuels, who grows from 5-11 to 6-7, takes control as Hillcrest wins Big Dipper. ‘That’s what I love to do.’

Tolu Samuels had quite the growth spurt before his sophomore year at Hillcrest, going from 5-foot-11 to 6-foot-5.

Now a 6-7 senior forward, Samuels is starting to learn how to use his height to help the Hawks in a wide variety of ways.

“At first, it was kind of hard adjusting to being taller,” Samuels said. “Everyone kept telling me, ‘You’re tall, use your size,’ and I just wanted to stand on the perimeter and shoot.

“But then I was like, ‘OK, you’re long. God gave you this. Use it to your advantage. Get in there, block shots and rebound, and you can still shoot the ball.’”

Samuels can still hit an outside shot if needed. But he’s turned into a rebounding machine and a defensive force for Hillcrest.

He showed that off in Friday’s Big Dipper championship game, scoring seven points and pulling down 11 rebounds as the Hawks topped Perspectives-Leadership 69-64 at Rich Township.

Akron recruit Darrion Baker led the Hawks (15-1) with 24 points and 14 rebounds. Tournament MVP Quentin Heady had 24 points and six rebounds, while Bryce Tillery added 10 points.

Leo transfer Jakeem Cole scored 28 points and Bloom transfer Gianni Cobb had 17 for Perspectives (12-5).

Samuels got a bit banged up early in the game, going to the bench briefly after hurting his arm while blocking a shot.

“I just landed on my funny bone, so my arm went numb,” Samuels said. “But I got back up and kept playing. You have to make sure to stay strong. You know what you’re in it for and you can’t be sitting down for no little bit of hurt.

“You’ve got to get back in the game.”

Although Samuels struggled to get his shot going early, going scoreless in the first half, he maintained a strong presence defensively and on the boards.

“Mostly on the scoring, Quentin Heady and Darrion Baker are in there,” Samuels said. “I want to get in there and help them with the dirty work.

“Rebounding takes heart, and I know everybody sees that in my game. That’s what I love to do.”

Samuels’ first name is Reuben, but he goes by his middle name, which means “God’s first son” in Nigerian.

“I’ve been going by Tolu since preschool,” he said. “I’m my parents’ first child and only son, so I’ve taken that and rolled with it my whole life.”

Hillcrest led 48-36 late in the third quarter, but the Warriors battled back within 55-53 with just over four minutes to go.

That had the Hawks thinking about last year’s Big Dipper, when they let a lead slip away in a championship game loss to Hyde Park.

“I feel like the people that were here last year had that in the back of their minds,” Baker said. “We didn’t want to have that feeling again. We didn’t want to go home coming up short in the championship again.

“We were definitely thinking about that as the game went on.”

Baker scored five points in the final four minutes and the Hawks got some key defensive stops to add another title to a resume that also includes the Chicago Heights Classic championship at Thanksgiving.

“This is first for me — we’ve won the biggest game,” said Hillcrest coach Don Houston, who led the Hawks to the 2010 Class 3A state championship. “We haven’t won a Thanksgiving and Christmas tournament in the same year.

“This is big for our program.”

Samuels, meanwhile, may not be the star but he’s become a big part of that success.

“Tolu’s a versatile player,” Houston said. “He can play inside and outside. I’m enjoying the way he’s playing.”

Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.