Scores include TF North, Marian Catholic, and Illiana Christian
By Mike Clark
LANSING, Ill. (December 24, 2022) – The situation looked bleak for TF South’s boys at last Saturday’s Crete-Monee Warrior Shootout.
The Red Wolves were down by as many as 14 points to Thornwood in the fourth quarter and still trailed by five in the closing seconds. Then came the frantic final sequence that enabled TF South to pull out a 67-65 win.
Senior guard Daetwan Thomas, who transferred from Thornwood to TF South before this season, was fouled while shooting a three-pointer. He made two of three free throws to pull the Red Wolves within 65-62.
While Thomas was shooting his foul shots, Thornwood was called for a technical, and Caleb Newman hit both free throws to make it 65-64 with about eight seconds left.
“We tried to draw up a play but they kind of (broke) it up,” South coach Todd Gillespie said. “So we have to freelance a little bit. Caleb comes off a pick and hits a three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left.”
Thornwood’s desperation shot at the buzzer was off the mark and TF South had a memorable win heading into the holidays.
Gillespie liked his team’s effort against a Thornwood team that had a size advantage over the guard-oriented Red Wolves.
“We were able to come back by using our quickness, pressing them and making some shots,” he said.
Thomas and Marqell Wilson led a balanced TF South attack with 16 points each, and Thomas added six rebounds and three assists. Romello Ali and Newman both scored 11, and Ali grabbed five rebounds. Sam Townsend was the fifth South player in double figures, scoring 10 points.
The night before, South fell 59-47 on the road to unbeaten Lemont in South Suburban Blue action.
Newman led the Red Wolves with 12 points, Ali had 11 points and seven rebounds, and Wilson finished with 11 points and five assists.
The Red Wolves (4-5, 2-2 SSC Blue) return to action Tuesday against Perspectives-Leadership in the first round of Rich’s Big Dipper Tournament. Tip-off is 9 a.m. at the Fine Arts Campus in Richton Park (formerly Rich South).
Girls basketball
The Red Wolves pushed their winning streak to seven games with a pair of victories.
South beat Lockport 42-36 last Saturday to win the Spartans Holiday Tournament at Oak Lawn. Rayvan Rush led the Red Wolves with 16 points, eight rebounds and four steals, while Tariya Wright scored 15 and Gigi Dillon grabbed eight rebounds.
Rush was named the tourney MVP and Wright earned a spot on the all-tournament team.
The Red Wolves then beat Bloom 61-37 Wednesday in their final game before the holidays. Rush had 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists and five steals, while Wright posted a double-double with 19 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. Dillon contributed eight points, 16 rebounds and four steals.
Up next for TF South is the Hillcrest Holiday Tournament, which begins Tuesday.
Girls bowling
TF South improved to 4-3 with a 1,419-1,261 win over Oak Lawn on Tuesday. Abby Kleidon had the match’s two high games, a pair of 172s, and the high series off 344.Trinity Kimmons had a 301 series and Olivia Gifford contributed a 168 game.
TF North
Boys basketball
At 7-0, the Meteors are one of the last remaining big-school unbeatens in the Chicago area.
Senior guard Jevon Warren leads North, which is 4-0 in the SSC Blue, at 16.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game. Jayden Small, another senior guard and a transfer from Longwood, averages 13.3 points and 2.4 assists, while junior guard Chase Abraham contributes 10.0 points and 4.6 steals.
The Meteors are back in action at 4 p.m. Monday against Clark in the first round of the Proviso West Holiday Tournament.
Marian Catholic
Boys basketball
The Spartans are 7-4 overall and 3-3 in the East Suburban Catholic Conference after falling 46-37 to unbeaten Benet last Friday.
Marian is back in action at 3:45 p.m. Monday against Maine South at the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic.
Girls basketball
The Spartans headed into the holiday break with a 38-25 road win over St. Laurence on Tuesday. Madison Davis led Marian (9-3) with 16 points.
Marian took third in its own Christmas Classic last Friday, beating Neuqua Valley 45-44 behind Davis’ 15 points. Davis represented the Spartans on the all-tourney team.
Marian’s next game is at 11 a.m. Monday against Thornton at the Hillcrest Holiday Classic.
Illiana Christian
Boys basketball
The Vikings moved to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the Greater South Shore with their third straight win, 56-42 over host River Forest last Friday.
Luke and Zeke VanEssen are Illiana’s top two scorers at 13.8 and 11.7 points a game, respectively. Andy Spoelman also is scoring in double figures at 11.0 ppg.
The Vikings are off till January 3, when they host Whiting at 7 p.m.
Related
- Red Wolves bowling and basketball continue winning seasons (December 17, 2022)
It is good to see Mike Clark reporting for the Journal. He is an excellent reporter who has covered high school sports in the Calumet Region and beyond for many years. As a long time coach at T. F. South I know from personal experience that he has written many outstanding articles concerning all the various sports offered by the schools.
Yes, we are glad Mike is available to Journal readers now! We appreciate his professionalism, and we look forward to the consistent and expanded sports coverage we think he’ll be able to provide.