Joliet Central holds off  JCA; Romeoville, Lockport roll; Plainfield Central falls to last second shot

In the 23rd Annual WJOL Thanksgiving Classic Wednesday at the University of St. Francis University near-record crowds were treated to a fun-filled afternoon and evening of high school basketball.

Played at the beautiful Sullivan Center, Joliet Central and Romeoville both improved to 2-0 in their respective pools. The Steelmen held off the feisty Hilltoppers of Joliet Catholic Academy 52-47 in the day’s first game.

Romeoville, in the third game of the day, rolled past Lincoln-Way West 58-42, while Lockport (1-1), rallied past Lemont 43-40 in the tournament finale.

Plainfield Central (0-2)  battled Lemont (2-0) to the very end. After an 8-0 Wildcat run tied the game at 54-54, Lemont’s junior guard Billy Bozue broke Wildcat hearts when he buried the game-winning three point shot with 2.9 seconds remaining in the game.

In the first game of the day, the Steelmen and the Hilltoppers gave fans a preview of the enjoyable basketball they were to witness all day. For Joliet Central’s head coach, Lawrence Thompson, Jr. the victory was rewarding in many ways.
JCA head coach Joe Gura was very proud of the second-straight effort put forth by his Hilltoppers (0-2).

A defensive battle in the first half, the Steelmen took an 18-14 lead at halftime. Steelmen senior Deejay Holmes (14 points) led  Central with seven first-half points. JCA was led by senior Mike Payne who had eight points with a pair of threes at the break.

After three quarters, the Steelmen led 34-29. The fourth quarter was an all-out war.

With 7:32 in the game, Hilltopper senior Gunter Nusbaumer (13 points, three 3’s) buried his second three of the game to pull JCA within 34-32. Dakoda Joachim (7 points) and senior Kendrick Williams (10 points, six rebounds), scored to open up a 38-32 Steelmen lead with 6:07 left. Williams converted two free-throws for a 42-35 Central lead with 4:31 left.

Payne would bury his third triple to pull JCA within 42-38, with four minutes to go.

Free-throw shooting, the bug-a-boo for Joliet teams over the last few years, proved to be the Steelmen’s game-winning success story.

With 2:07 remaining, Steelmen senior Keaton Gregory’s steal and score put the Hilltoppers up 46-40.

Hilltopper Christian Knapczyk scored and Payne followed with a steal and three-point-bomb and to cut the Central lead to 46-45, with 1:02 remaining.

In the last minute of the game, Gregory, Joachim and Williams all converted both free throws on their one-and-one shots to hold off the Hilltoppers. For the game the Steelmen hit 12 of 14 charity tosses in the game.

“This was a great win in many ways,” Thompson, Jr. said. “We made our free throws and they were made by players who normally do not shoot free throws for us. We are a totally new group this season and we are in the process, for all of us, in learning our system and see what we can do well. I am very happy, that our new group has been successful in their first two games.

“Kendrick (Williams) played well for us in the second half and Deejay, is a senior leader for us and did well. I really want to compliment Joe (Gura) and his team on playing so hard this afternoon.”

On Friday night the Steelmen (2-0) will face Lemont (2-0) for the Pool A Championship and a berth in the championship game at 7 p.m. Saturday night.

“We really started out slow tonight,” Williams said. “We have to give credit to JCA. We really expect them to play as hard as they did. I had a good fourth quarter and I was happy, for all of us we finally made our free throws.”

For the hard-luck Hilltopper’s they will face Plainfield Central (0-2) on Friday night.

“I am very proud of the way the kids battled tonight,” Gura said. “Did you ever think you would see our kids turning over a Lawrence Thompson, Jr-coached team? That is how great we played on defense. Mike Payne is the hardest-working kid I have ever coached. Mike is the real-deal.”

“We played really hard tonight. We played very well on Monday against Lemont, too.” Payne said. “I felt really good shooting the ball tonight. I have worked very hard on my game everyday. We hope to pick up a win against Plainfield Central on Friday and then go 2-2 with a win on Saturday in the tournament.”

ROMEOVILLE 58, LINCOLN-WAY WEST 42
After outracing Lockport 80-70 Monday night, the Spartans (2-0) struggled through a turnover-filled first half against Lincoln-Way West (0-2). Led by senior Zach Gibson, the Spartans led 32-20 as Gibson scored 10 points and hauled down seven rebounds in the first half.

In the third quarter, Spartan junior sharpshooter Destin Whitaker (19 points, two blocks, two rebounds, two steals) and Bolingbrook transfer Ikeena Okeke (11 points, three rebounds) scored all 16 Spartan third quarter points, as Romeoville opened up a 48-29 lead after three quarters.

“Lincoln-Way West, really played very aggressively, against me on defense, in the first half,” Whitaker said. “Like our team, I figured out what they were doing and went on to have a big second half and help us get this win. We want to defeat Providence (1-1) on Friday and then Saturday night we want to win the championship. We are the defending WJOL champions.”

Spartan senior point guard Mike Salter scored 11 points to go with three assists and two steals.

Trayton Trice chipped with six points and three rebound.

“We weren’t very crisp with our passing in the first half,” Romeoville coach Marc Howard said. “In the second half, Destin really got us going and had a great night for us. Mike Salter, along with Destin, are the heart and soul of our team. Mike and Destin have been through a lot of big games together and we look to them for leadership.

“Providence has some good athletes and we will have to play well, to beat them, on Friday. Of course we want to win again on Saturday and defend our WJOL championship, from last year.”

LOCKPORT 43, PROVIDENCE 40
Lockport senior Tommy Ferriter, had been shutout for 31 minutes and 31 seconds, in the Porters, WJOL late night Classic battle with Providence (1-1).

With 29 seconds remaining in regulation, Ferrtier’s Porters, trailed 40-38, when Ferriter, buried a 23-foot, three-point bomb, for his first points of the game and a 41-40 Porter lead, with 29 seconds left in the contest. In the closing seconds, Lockport’s Quinn Gardner (7 points) would finish off the Celtics, and score on a perfect-pass, from former, Porter quarterback, Jake Carli (6 points).

The big, story in the game was the Porters’ 6-foot-8, 265 pound Tommy Halatek. Halatek was a monster on the glass, hauling in 16 rebounds, including eight offensive boards and had a game 18 points. A very impressive double-double.

“After our loss on Monday, to Romeoville, I really wanted my teammates to go to me inside,” Halatek. “We got the ball inside and Providence could  not stop me. I had a great night and this was a big win for us. We want to win on Friday and get out of here with three wins. That would really give us confidence as we go into the season.”

In the second game of the day, Lemont and Plainfield Central (0-2) battled each other to almost a first-half draw as Lemont (2-0) took a 32-31 lead into the halftime locker room. Led by senior guard Billy Bozue’s three second quarter triples and his 11 first-half points, the Indians clung to their first-half lead. More from Bozue, later.

Led by their 6-foot-8 senior, Nate Ferguson (14 points, five rebounds, four blocks), the Indians exploded for 21 third-quarter points. After three quarters, Lemont opened up a 52-42 lead.

Trailing 54-46 with two minutes left in the contest, the Wildcats awoke. Led by senior, Maurice McCullum (16 points, four rebounds, four steals) and junior, Brandon Schumaker (17 points, six rebounds, two steals), the Wildcats went on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 54, with a minute to go in regulation.

Lemont played for the last shot and with 2.9 seconds remaining, Buzue, buried his fourth 3, from 21-feet, to break the Wildcats’ hearts.

After slipping past Westinghouse 71-64 in the season opener at home versus Westinghouse, Benet traveled to Oak Park for a battle with the tournament hosts from Fenwick (1-1) . Behind their Gaithersburg (MD) transfer, 6-foot-7 225 pound senior Declan Kendrick Tchoua, the Redwings hammered the Friars 84-65. Tchoua hit the Friars with a 27-point outburst.

Wolves win two at Glenbrook North Tourney
Niles West (2-0) opened up the 2018-19 season in style, with a 55-48 win over Hoffman Estates and a 50-37 win over Prosser. In the win over Hoffman Estates, the Wolves were led by 6-foot-7 junior Adnan Seferovic and senior point guard Kevin Guillaume.

After falling to the host Lions 53-41 in Monday’s opener, the Hawks bounced back with a 69-61 win over Plainfield North Tuesday. Wednesday night the Hawks slipped past Hinsdale South (0-3) 46-41.

In the win over Plainfield North on Tuesday, senior Essam Hamvi (29 points) and Dan Crane (21 points), led the Hawks to victory. In the Wednesday win over Hinsdale South, Crane led the Hawks, with another 21-point performance.

Dons fall to DePaul in Battle of the Bridge Tourney Final
After defeating Lake View 47-35 and Taft 70-54, the Dons were hammered by the tournament hosts from DePaul Prep (3-0) in the tournament championship game Wednesday night. The host Rams led the Dons 33-21 at the half. A 19-7 Ram third quarter finished this one as the Rams led 52-28 after three quarters.

Blue Demons (1-0) won their 2018-19 opener defeating the Ridgewood Thanksgiving hosts.

The Trojans (1-0) opened up the 2018-19 season with the victory over Streamwood