The Joliet Central Steelmen's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their eighth straight loss. They took a 58-52 hit to the loss column at the hands of Joliet West. While losing is never fun, Joliet Central can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 374th, while Joliet West is ranked 152nd).
Joliet West's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Jada Thompson, who scored 15 points. That's the first time this season that Thompson scored 15 or more points. Alaya Redditt was another key contributor, scoring nine points.
Joliet Central's defeat was their sixth straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 6-18. As for Joliet West, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 13-9 record this season.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Joliet Central will take on Plainfield East at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Joliet West, they will look to defend their home court on Saturday against Normal Community at 2:30 p.m. Normal Community has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
