The Thornton Wildcats came tearing into Friday's contest with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 18.2 points) and they left with even more momentum. They enjoyed a cozy 52-37 victory over Crete-Monee. Given Thornton's advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked second, while Crete-Monee is ranked 218th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Morez Johnson was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 21 points and 19 rebounds. Johnson is absolutely dominating the rebound category: he's posted at least eight every time he's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Meyoh Swansey, who scored 13 points along with seven rebounds.
Thornton has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 13 of their last 14 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 17-2 record this season. As for Crete-Monee, they now have a losing record at 9-10.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Thornton won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Benet Academy at 7:30 p.m. on January 20th. Benet Academy will be looking to keep their three-game home win streak alive. As for Crete-Monee, they will head out on the road to take on Lincoln Park at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. Lincoln Park knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past six contests -- so hopefully Crete-Monee likes a good challenge.
