http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com Latest news from the Chicago Sun-Times - High School Sports en-us webmaster@suntimes.com (Editor) Newspapers http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/csp/cms/sites/YourSeason/assets/img/logo.gif http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com 84 34 30 Copyright 2013
A season that began with the No. 1 ranking in the Herald-News ended too soon for Joliet West. “I wish we were still playing,” coach Luke Yaklich said. Joliet West’s season came to an end against Thornton in the Wildcats’ Class 4A regional final, but that loss didn’t erase what the Tigers accomplished, starting in November. Coming off a 9-16 record in … ]]> Tue, 06 Mar 2012 19:18:01 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/11110581-393/boys-basketball-joliet-wests-season-sets-solid-foundation.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/11110581-393/boys-basketball-joliet-wests-season-sets-solid-foundation.html
Joliet West senior Marlon Johnson has dunked the basketball hundreds of times this season. He’s one of the area’s most prolific jumping jacks. But Friday in Harvey, the most important dunk of the season wouldn’t stay down. Johnson had a chance to tie the score with 27 seconds to play, but it wasn’t to be and Thornton hung on for a 45-41 … ]]> Fri, 02 Mar 2012 22:29:00 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/11022765-393/boys-basketball-thornton-holds-off-joliet-west.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/11022765-393/boys-basketball-thornton-holds-off-joliet-west.html
Joliet West was in danger of letting a big lead slip away and becoming the second upset victim in Tuesday’s Class 4A Thornton Regional semifinals when Morris Dunnigan stepped up. Dunnigan’s three-point play with nine seconds play helped the Tigers overcome a furious Plainfield South rally and hold on for a 64-61 win in Harvey. Dunnigan had a quiet night with just … ]]> Tue, 28 Feb 2012 23:19:19 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10949200-393/boys-basketball-morris-dunnigan-rises-in-time-vs-plainfield-south.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10949200-393/boys-basketball-morris-dunnigan-rises-in-time-vs-plainfield-south.html A physical and defensive SouthWest Suburban Blue battle that neither team led by more than six points seemed to be slipping away from visiting Joliet West. Lockport led 35-31 with 2:13 left Friday night, and after a timeout, the Porters ran nearly a minute off the clock before they got the layup they wanted. But it rolled off the rim. Just like … ]]> Fri, 24 Feb 2012 22:41:01 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10865706-393/boys-basketball-big-run-enough-for-joliet-west-vs-lockport.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10865706-393/boys-basketball-big-run-enough-for-joliet-west-vs-lockport.html The almost inevitable shouts of “Call ‘em both ways” that came from the Bolingbrook crowd with host Joliet West ahead 20-10 late in the first quarter turned to cheers when the Raiders erased the 10-point disparity before halftime. The back-and-forth SouthWest Suburban Blue battle that was expected Friday night continued through the second half until Bolingbrook opened a nine-point lead midway through … ]]> Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:19:15 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10718923-393/boys-basketball-bolingbrook-pushes-past-joliet-west-late.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10718923-393/boys-basketball-bolingbrook-pushes-past-joliet-west-late.html Taking a break from their respective conference schedules late in the season, Oswego and host Joliet West put on an entertaining and varied display Tuesday night on both ends of the court. In a game where it looked like the team that scored last would win, Oswego saw an 11-point fourth-quarter lead dwindle to two points with 14 seconds left before the … ]]> Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:14:00 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10651701-393/boys-basketball-oswego-holds-off-joliet-west.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10651701-393/boys-basketball-oswego-holds-off-joliet-west.html
It would have been completely out of season, but this one belonged on Halloween. The tricks ran rampant Friday night as Joliet West outscored SouthWest Suburban Blue and in-district foe Joliet Central 15-8 in the final five minutes to break away from a 48-all tie en route to a 63-56 victory at the West field house. Well, sort of. The game was … ]]> Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:53:24 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10570834-393/boys-basketball-joliet-west-edges-joliet-central-on-weird-night.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10570834-393/boys-basketball-joliet-west-edges-joliet-central-on-weird-night.html
City Remember Marist? The RedHawks were ranked in the preseason but quickly fell off the map after dropping December games to St. Viator and Niles Notre Dame by a combined 55 points and losing to Taft. But since that Taft defeat, Marist has gone 11-2 and is looking like a team that is starting to put it together. Marist, led by 6-5 … ]]> Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:01:51 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10542666-393/joe-henricksens-citysuburban-hoops-report.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10542666-393/joe-henricksens-citysuburban-hoops-report.html
Lincoln-Way Central caught Southwest Suburban Blue foe Joliet West at exactly the wrong time. Coming off a tough week where West dropped decisions of 50-46 to Homewood-Flossmoor and 68-63 to Lincoln-Way East, the Tigers were loaded for beat in Tuesday night’s 65-39 victory over the Knights. The final score made things look more respectable as West (14-7, 7-3) led 39-10 at halftime … ]]> Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:14:15 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10500260-393/boys-basketball-joliet-west-takes-down-lincoln-way-central.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10500260-393/boys-basketball-joliet-west-takes-down-lincoln-way-central.html
Lincoln-Way East on Friday had the great equalizer for a bigger, faster Joliet West team. “That’s exactly the word we used,” East coach Rich Kolimas said after his team made 12 of 18 three-point baskets in a 68-63 SouthWest Suburban Blue home upset. East (9-11, 2-7) was outrebounded, had more turnovers and put Joliet West (13-7, 6-3) into the super bonus with … ]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:35:16 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10424863-393/boys-basketball-threes-key-as-lincoln-way-east-tops-joliet-west.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10424863-393/boys-basketball-threes-key-as-lincoln-way-east-tops-joliet-west.html Homewood-Flossmoor lost a big early lead Tuesday, but still managed to earn a 52-48 SouthWest Suburban Blue win at Joliet West. “We knew they’d play really hard on their home floor,” H-F coach Jim McLaughlin said. “We came out with the first blow and played with a lot of energy. This was a great win, but it was even better because we … ]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:56:01 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10356971-393/boys-basketball-homewood-flossmoor-holds-off-joliet-west.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10356971-393/boys-basketball-homewood-flossmoor-holds-off-joliet-west.html
Why wait until March for a little March Madness? Morris Dunnigan and Marlon Johnson made the key plays Friday night as Joliet West escaped visiting SouthWest Suburban Blue foe Lockport 49-48 in a wild and crazy battle. It was not always an artistic success, but two relentless defenses went “nose to nose and chest to chest,” as described by West coach Luke … ]]> Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:34:37 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10281994-393/boys-basketball-joliet-west-escapes-gritty-lockport.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10281994-393/boys-basketball-joliet-west-escapes-gritty-lockport.html
Producing a 45-point second half, a much more aggressive Joliet West team rolled to a 59-48 SouthWest Suburban Blue win over host Sandburg on Monday. “As the game wore on, our press took its toll and did what it was supposed to do,” said West coach Luke Yaklich, whose team forced six fourth-period turnovers. Sandburg (8-8, 3-3) settled into a 2-3 zone … ]]> Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:59:42 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10195462-393/boys-basketball-aggressive-joliet-west-downs-sandburg.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10195462-393/boys-basketball-aggressive-joliet-west-downs-sandburg.html Joliet West coach Luke Yaklich might just have made a discovery. The Tigers scored the first 15 points en route to a 27-7 first-quarter lead and coasted past Romeoville 76-34 Monday in the MLK Day of Hoops at Joliet Central. But even though he was not on the floor for the beginning of the romp, 6-foot-2 senior forward Brian Edwards supplied significant … ]]> Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:52:57 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10053377-393/boys-basketball-joliet-west-cruises-past-romeoville.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10053377-393/boys-basketball-joliet-west-cruises-past-romeoville.html
When the chips were down Friday night in Joliet West’s 61-59 SouthWest Suburban Blue win over Bolingbrook, Raiders coach Rob Brost said, “They out-toughed us.” Especially Brandon McCullum. The 6-foot-2 senior forward, although dazed by the flying elbow he caught in the third quarter, provided the board work, defense and clutch free throw shooting to lift the Tigers (10-4, 4-1) to the … ]]> Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:07:55 CST http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10001430-393/boys-basketball-joliet-west-out-toughs-bolingbrook-for-win.html http://highschoolsports.suntimes.com/schools/jolietwest/boys_basketball/10001430-393/boys-basketball-joliet-west-out-toughs-bolingbrook-for-win.html