Davion Thompson, Bolingbrook cruise past Glenbrook South at Jack Tosh Holiday Classic

ELMHURST — It’s no secret that Bolingbrook has a very talented boys basketball team and is difficult to beat.

When they play like they did Friday in a 71-39 win over Glenbrook South in the second round of the 50th Jack Tosh Holiday Classic, the Raiders may be impossible to beat.

At least, that is how it seemed, especially in the early going.

Much like Thursday’s first-round win over Hinsdale South, Bolingbrook was dominant on both sides of the floor Friday. Their aggressive defense and efficient offense led to an 11-0 lead before the Titans attempted a shot. Glenbrook South did not score in the first quarter until a 3-pointer by Hudson Fuller went in with 13 seconds to play.

With all five starters - seniors JT Pettigrew and Kendall Cutler, junior Trey Brost, sophomore Davion Thompson and freshman Brady Pettigrew - conspiring to shut down Glenbrook South, Thompson took the bulk of the offensive load on his young shoulders and showed no sign of pressure.

The silky-smooth left-hander was dialed in from long range, going 8 of 11 from 3-point range and finishing with a game-high 33 points. He was 6 of 8 from deep and had 24 in the first half as the Raiders (11-2) took a 42-14 halftime lead.

“My teammates did a great job of finding me when I was open,” Thompson said. “I was able to find some open spots in their zone and the guys found me. When I got hot, they kept finding me.

“On defense, we just run a lot of defensive reps in practice and study game film. The coaches did a great job of putting together a good game plan and we executed it.”

After scoring just three points in the first quarter, Glenbrook South was able to score 11 in the second, getting a pair of 3-pointers from Hudson Fuller and one from Hunter Thiel. Meanwhile, Bolingbrook, which plays Saturday at 5 p.m. in the quarterfinals, opened the second quarter with a putback dunk by JT Pettigrew before back-to-back 3-pointers by Thompson. Pettigrew then scored on a pretty spin move on the block for a 32-8 Raider lead. Fuller and Thiel hit consecutive 3-pointers to pull the Titans to within 32-14. Thompson sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around a basket by Brost before hitting a pair of free throws to give Bolingbrook a 42-14 lead entering halftime.

“While we were watching film earlier today and then in our walkthrough, the kids were really locked in,” Bolingbrook coach Rob Brost said. “It’s great for us to have our full complement of players on the floor. For the first eight games or so, we didn’t, so it was good to see everyone healthy.”

Thompson wasn’t quite done.

After Cutler started the third quarter with a basket for Bolingbrook, Thompson followed with an old-fashioned three-point play. Brady Pettigrew followed with a basket before a 3-pointer by South’s Jacob Fuller made it 49-19. Cutler then hit a 3-pointer and Thompson did the same to put the Raiders ahead 55-19. Hudson Fuller (12 points) countered with a 3-pointer of his own, but a pair of free throws by Cutler (10 points) put Bolingbrook ahead 57-22. A 3-pointer by Thompson and a basket by Brady Pettigrew put the Raiders ahead 62-24. A free throw by Aldin Habibovic and a basket by Anestis Hadjistamoulou cut the Bolingbrook lead to 62-28 entering the fourth quarter. With the running clock in place due to the 30-point advantage, both teams emptied their benches in the fourth.

“I’ve said it before, but I am running out of adjectives to talk about Davion,” Rob Brost said. “We’ve had a lot of really, really good players come through Bolingbrook. He’s right there with them, and he’s only a sophomore.

“I am very proud of him, not just for how he plays, but for how he handles all the accolades and attention he gets off the court. He is very humble and unselfish. For a 16-year-old to have those kinds of qualities is impressive.”