Bolingbrook defense stifles Hinsdale South at Jack Tosh Holiday Classic

ELMHURST — Almost every coach, no matter the sport, preaches that if the other team doesn’t score, it makes it easier for their own team to win.

Bolingbrook took that to heart Thursday in the opening round of the 50th Jack Tosh Holiday Classic. The Raiders held Hindsale South to three points in the first quarter and five in the first half en route to a 56-21 win.

“We got after it on defense tonight,” Bolingbrook coach Rob Brost said. “Now, we have to move on to the next one.”

That next one will be Friday night at 6 p.m. against Glenbrook South, which topped Glenbard North 60-46 in the first round.

Bolingbrook (10-2) opened the game by scoring the first 12 points, getting five points from sophomore Davion Thompson, who led all scorers with 17, a 3-pointer by senior JT Pettigrew (13 points, 6 rebounds), a putback by Kendall Cutler and a layup off a steal by freshman Brady Pettigrew (8 points) before Hinsdale South (1-9) got on the board with 3:24 left in the quarter on a free throw by Ayden Farrare. Thompson made a free throw before Colton Lin scored for the Hornets to make it 13-3 at the end of the first quarter.

Pettigrew opened the second with a basket off an assist from Thompson before Jayden Madden put back a miss with an emphatic dunk for the Raiders. The Hornets' Christian Hardick scored with 2:48 left in the half to make it 17-5.

The Raiders' defense took over after that. Following a basket by Pettigrew, Thompson got a steal and started a fast break. The point guard displayed a bit of “Showtime,” throwing a pass off the backboard to Pettigrew, who slammed it home. Brady Pettigrew closed the half by turning a steal into a dunk.

“We play tough defense, and we want to get out in transition off of our defense,” JT Pettigrew said. “We were able to do that tonight.

“Davion and I practice that off-the-backboard play in practice sometimes, so it was fun to get a chance to do it in a game.”

Hinsdale South scored first in the second half as Farrare got a steal and dunk. The rest of the quarter, however, belonged to Bolingbrook, as the Raiders outscored the Hornets 23-6 the rest of the quarter to take a 46-13 lead into the fourth. Thompson scored nine points in the quarter for Bolingbrook, while Brady Pettigrew had four.

With the running clock invoked in the fourth quarter because of the more than 30-point difference, both teams emptied their benches. Bolingbrook got four points from Elijah Anderson, while Hinsdale South got three each from Jad Kawass and Noah Therapos.

“They got after us defensively,” Hinsdale South coach Scott Tanaka said. “If we hadn’t turned it over so often, it would have been a closer game. Many of our turnovers resulted in easy baskets for them. They are so long and fast on defense that you have to be almost perfect or they will get their hands on it.

“I thought we played well in half-court defense. We made their offense earn their baskets. I was really happy to see how well Ayden Farrare played. He was hurt at the start of the year, and this is only his second game with us. He will only keep getting better, and that will make the team better.”