Combs does it all for Thornwood

Updated: March 22, 2011 4:48PM

Thornwood junior guard Darrell Combs made sure that a tough loss to No. 12 Thornton last week was not lingering in the back of the Thunderbirds' (3-3, 1-1) minds on Friday, as his 23 points, seven rebounds, and five assists helped his team earn an impressive 66-44 Southwest Suburban Blue victory over rival Thornridge in South Holland.

Combs was all energy all the time. He looked a step faster than everyone else on the court, especially in the first half. Whether slashing to the basket for an easy layup, grabbing a rebound, or out running defenders down the court in transition, Combs was a man in constant motion.

Combs finished the half with 16 of the Thunderbirds' 38 points, and added four rebounds and four assists. He scored almost as many first-half points as the entire Thornridge (4-4, 1-1) team, which had 20.

"I had a lot of energy tonight," Combs said. "I just wanted to beat them and get our first conference win."

The Falcon defenders tried to contain Combs in the third period, but to no avail. Combs added 11 more points in the period to put the game out of reach.

"It's a big win whenever we play Thornridge. They're our rivals," said Thornwood coach Paul Slavich. "It feels really good to get a win like this."

The line bright spot for a Falcon team that couldn't get anything going offensively was senior forward Sinclaire Stevenson, who was effective in drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line, where he scored 11 of his 19 points. He also had five rebounds.

Rodney Smith and Johnte Shannon each finished with 12 points for Thornwood.

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