JOLIET – The 28th annual WJOL Thanksgiving Classic concluded this weekend at the University of Saint Francis. After four days of games, the tournament came down to its final two teams, the Bradley-Bourbonnais Boilermakers and Lemont.
The Boilers – led by senior Nick Allen – defeated Plainfield Central, Lincoln Way West and Minooka to earn a spot in Saturday’s championship. Lemont also went undefeated, beating Providence Catholic, Joliet Central and Lockport to secure its spot in the final two.
Only one could leave champion, though, and a 57-53 win gave Bradley-Bourbonnais its first-ever WJOL title. Saturday’s title game included four players who made the all-tournament team – Lemont’s Alanas Castillo and Gabe Sularski; and Nick Allen and Gavin Kohl for the Boilermakers.
Lemont took control early, utilizing senior guard Matas Gaidukevicius on offense, scoring 10 first-half points and helping his team to a four-point lead despite Lemont shooting 0-for-5 from 3-point range.
The Boilermakers, after turning the ball over several times early in the first, were able to bounce back in the second quarter, outscoring Lemont 18-16 to cut the deficit to two at halftime.
It was all Allen for Bradley-Bourbonnais in the second half. The 6-11 big man dominated the glass and the post, which seemed to slow down the Lemont offense and allowed BBCHS to keep things close. Allen finished as the tournament MVP, setting a record for points per game with 29 and rebounds with 12 per throughout the four games.
“They are a tough team,” Allen said of Lemont. “I just tried to go out there tonight and do what I’ve been taught by my coaches.”
Lemont still held a 43-41 lead going into the fourth quarter, but struggled to close out the Boilermakers in the final eight minutes, shooting just 23% from the field in the final frame.
“If we are not making 3-point shots, then [we have to figure out] what else can we do,” Lemont coach Rick Runaas said. “We are going to have to work on stuff like that and getting other players to step in when [opposing teams] take away our primary scoring option.”
Despite Lemont going just 4-of-25 from 3-point range, the game remained close late. Allen – who was able to score at will during the second half – got support from teammates like senior Gavin Kohl, who scored 13 points and went 7-for-8 from the free-throw line in the final quarter, to help secure the championship win.
“Our focus today was trying to show poise,” Boilermakers coach Rick Kemp said. “We knew that Lemont would go on runs, and I give a lot of credit to my coaching staff for their adjustments and our players for staying strong.”
Kemp also had high praise for Allen.
“His parents and us coaches know how hard he has worked to get to where he’s at today. I was watching a film of him last year; the difference is unbelievable,” Kemp said. “He is the best center in the state of Illinois.”