With a playoff win on the line, Joliet West rose to the challenge on Wednesday. They walked away with a 72-59 victory over the Thornwood Thunderbirds. Given the Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 58th, while the Thunderbirds are ranked 263rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Thornwood's loss came despite a true team effort with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Lester Watson, who shot 55% from the field on his way to 15 points. Another player making a difference was Mekhi Young, who went 7-for-11 en route to 14 points.
Tigers
| 02/26/25 vs Thornwood | 72-59 |
| 02/18/25 @ Plainfield Central | 67-24 |
| 02/14/25 vs Plainfield East | 80-55 |
| 02/07/25 @ Romeoville | 56-36 |
| 02/04/25 vs Plainfield South | 62-50 |
| + 2 more games |
The win (which was Joliet West's seventh in a row) raised their record to 21-9. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.0 points over those games. As for Thornwood, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-18.
Joliet West wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next contest, a 50-46 loss against Bloom on the 28th. Thornwood does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
