Lemont, Minooka notch decisive wins in WJOL Thanksgiving Classic

JOLIET — Defense took center stage Wednesday in the first two games of WJOL Thanksgiving Classic action at University of St. Francis.

Lemont used its superior size to frustrate Joliet Central in the opener, beating the Steelmen 67-34, while in the second game, Minooka was relentless on the defensive side, shutting out Plainfield Central in the first quarter and cruising to a 50-24 win.

Joliet Central took a short-lived 3-2 lead early on a 3-pointer by Erick Contreras, but Lemont asserted itself quickly with its defensive pressure. They went on a 13-0 run, started by a 3-pointer by Alanas Castillo, who led all scorers with 22 points, and capped by a steal and layup by Zane Schneider. With four of their five starters standing 6-4 or taller, Lemont was able to cover a large amount of the floor in a small amount of time, disrupting the Joliet Central offense.

The Steelmen then righted the ship a bit, but it was 20-8 at the end of the first quarter in Minooka’s favor.

While Lemont got several baskets in transition, when they had to run a half-court offense, they were efficient. They employed strong, quick ball movement and spotted any open man. It was an offense that looked well-seasoned for the second game of the season.

“We play well together,” Castillo said. “A lot of us have been playing together since pretty much kindergarten, both in school and travel ball. We know each other very well and what all of us can do.

“We like to push the ball up the court and try to use our defense to create baskets. When we are in half-court, the 3-pointer is a big part of my game. It’s what I usually do.”

Castillo opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer and teammate Simas Dyglys followed suit to counter a pair of baskets by Joliet Central’s James Lee. The Steelmen got to within 28-15 on a three-point play by Malachi Boatright before Lemont scored the next nine points, eight by Matas Gaidukevicius, who finished with 14 points. Lee, Contreras and Boatright all scored nine points to lead the Steelmen.

“Give the credit to Lemont,” Joliet Central coach Lawrence Thompson, Jr. said. “Their kids are organized and they play to their skills.

“We are still trying to figure things out. Who does what well and which guys play well with each other. We also need to get fundamentally better. We need be better with our execution. I thought we were better in the second half and we did a respectable job of not letting turnovers turn into baskets.”

Lemont coach Rick Runaas was pleased with how his team looked en route to its second straight win.

“There have been years when we have a short team,” he said. “This year, it’s nice to be able to use length to our advantage. Sometimes, on the high school level, it’s hard to find five guys that can catch, dribble, pass and shoot. We’re fortunate to have a lot of guys that can do that, and that they are taller players.

“We know that teams are going to double Gabe Sularski a lot, and he has been great about finding the open man when that happens. And Matas and Alanas are able to knock down those shots.”

As impressive as Lemont’s defense was, Minooka took it to another level in the next game.

The Indians were tenacious and physical from the start, constantly pressuring Plainfield Central ball-handlers and forcing either turnovers or contested shots. As a result, the Wildcats did not score in the first quarter. Meanwhile, Minooka a basket by Kevin Bisbee, a 3-pointer by Jaden Boe, a steal and layup by Charlie Murray and a basket by Nate Gonzalez allowed the Indians to take a 9-0 lead at the end of the quarter.

Minooka opened the second with a bucket by Zane Caves before Plainfield Central got on the board with a 3-pointer by Jackson Acuna with 6:11 to play in the quarter. The Indians proceeded to outscore Plainfield Central 16-4 to take a 27-7 lead into halftime. Jeremiah Brown scored all six of his points in the quarter for Minooka, while Rhett Harris had three points. Harris finished with a team-leading 10 points.

The Indians increased the lead to 38-14 at the end of the third as Alexis Landfair scored four of Central’s seven points. Minooka began the fourth quarter on a 9-3 run to take a 47-17 lead and invoke the running clock with 4:45 to play. Jordan Freemsn (7 points) had five points, incuding a 3-pointer, in the run. Harris hit a pair of free throws to get the 30-point lead, then followed up with a 3-pointer for a 50-17 Minooka lead. Central scored the final seven points, five from Phoenix Jones.

“We have to hang our hat on our defense,” Minooka coach Brett Hespell said. “We aren’t real big or real quick, but we play super hard and don’t quit. We have to create offense from our defense, and we did a good job of that tonight.

“It was a great team effort tonight. We had some juniors step in and play really well. Jaden Boe and Zane Caves are really the only two guys that played much last year, so they know what we expect. They do a great job of leading by example. Everyone sees how hard they play, and they follow that lead.”