Joliet West’s lopsided victory over Joliet Central features suffocating defense, dominant offense

JOLIET – Scorching. Blazing. Sizzling. None of those words can even come close to describing how hot the Joliet West boys basketball team was early Tuesday night.

Heck, none of them can come close to describing what the Tigers did all game against their crosstown rivals.

Zion Gross scored 23 points against Joliet Central to lead 10 different scorers for the Tigers as the offense couldn’t be stopped. The defense was suffocating too, forcing 11 turnovers in the first quarter alone while holding the Steelmen without a field goal for the opening nine minutes of play.

It probably goes without saying that the Tigers got the win, 78-29.

Joliet West (4-1) saw Ethan Hillsman join Gross in double-figure scoring with 11 points, while Tristian Saunders (nine points), Aamir Shannon (eight), Kendall Bosby (seven) and Luke Grevengoed (seven) were right behind. It was the defense, though, that may have been most impressive. Joliet Central didn’t score a point in the second half until 1:55 remained in the third.

“We’re proud of the work we’ve put in so far,” West coach Jeremy Kreiger said. “We’re eight juniors and four seniors, so it’s going to take some time to understand how to play the game the way we expect it to be played, but through five games we’re really proud of the effort they’ve put in and how much they’ve shared the ball.”

The game was a runaway from the start.

Baskets by Hillsman, Grevengoed and Gross opened up a 6-0 start for the Tigers. A free throw by Michael Stokes gave the Steelmen their first point, but the next 13 points came from the Tigers, including back-to-back tip-ins from Shannon and Mickeis Johnson.

While Bernal Fox sank a pair of free throws for Central, a buzzer-beating 3 by Saunders made it 22-3 Tigers after one.

Jayden Poplawski finally ended the field goal drought a minute into the second quarter on a jumper. The Steelmen went on a 7-2 run at one point in the second, but the Tigers quickly reclaimed control as Gross hit back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the period. At the break, West led 50-14.

The third quarter was deja vu, much to the delight of the Tigers and the chagrin of the Steelmen. The turnovers returned with 10 in the period by Central as West scored the first 15 points of the half, eight from Gross.

The Steelmen didn’t score in the half until 1:55 was left on the clock when Rylenn Sanchez hit a jumper. Those were the only points of the third for Central, as West led 71-16 entering the fourth.

The game moved to a running clock for the final eight minutes.

“We came out and had fun,” Gross said. “Just as a collective group, we were trying to come out and enjoy it. We didn’t ever relax. Even at halftime when we saw we (were) up, we never relaxed. We came out with our foot on the pedal and left it on the gas all game.”

The Steelmen (1-4) entered the year with limited experience, and it showed Tuesday night. Coach Lawrence Thompson said that while the result was disappointing, it was always going to be a challenge to knock off the Tigers.

“The seniors are inexperienced after playing sparingly last year,” Thompson said. “Them and the juniors ... the intensity brought by Joliet West was probably too overwhelming for them. Credit goes to Joliet West. There’s no excuses to be made. We were outplayed, outcoached, and they did what they wanted to do today.

“I don’t think we’re playing to the best of our ability right now, and I have to change that.”

Joliet West’s next task will be to take down Plainfield South on Friday. Hillsman believes the Tigers will be ready.

“We can all play basketball, and we’re all talented,” he said. “We all have high basketball IQs, and we can all play. ... We want to make a run for state, and we’re definitely capable of that.”