Sports
Boys Basketball: Lincoln-Way Central Pulls Away for Regional Quarterfinal Victory
L-W Central 45, Joliet Central 30. Knights outsize Steelmen and use a 7-0 run in the second half to prevail in Stagg Regional play.
The Hot Read: Lincoln-Way Central led 15-4 after one quarter Monday night but allowed the Steelmen to rally to trail by only 24-20 at halftime. The Knights opened the second half with a 7-0 run and led by no less than five points the rest of the way en route to a 45-30 victory in a Stagg Regional quarterfinal game. The Knights made the Steelmen pay by knocking down their free throws in the second half.
Patch's MVP: At 6-foot-8, Lincoln-Way Central junior Brad Foster caused some problems for the Steelmen and finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks.
Key Stats: The Knights outrebounded the Steelmen 40-18. Put it this way: Lincoln-Way Central's Brad Foster and Alex Severson combined for more rebounds (20) than the Steelmen had as a team. Lincoln-Way Central converted 14 of 18 free throws in the second half; Joliet Central went just 2-of-6 on the night.
Find out what's happening in New Lenoxwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Lincoln-Way Central’s Leaders: In addition to Foster's big night, the Knights received contributions from Sean Blackwood (10 points), Evan Branyik (11 points, including seven straight free throws), Alex Severson (8 rebounds, 5 points) and Johnny Finnin (9 points).
Joliet Central’s Leader: Darius Norris (17 points, 4 rebounds)
Find out what's happening in New Lenoxwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Quotable: Lincoln-Way Central's Brad Foster on jumping to an 11-point lead after one quarter: "We wanted to jump on them early, make shots and keep them off the glass. We knew they'd try to attack hard so we tried to limit them to outside shots which was key to rebounding."
Quotable II: Lincoln-Way Central coach Bob Curran on the team's offensive struggles in the second half: "When you're down, you start scraping like they did. They were a few steps quicker than us and added more pressure and they stopped being smart and being aggressive."
Team Records: Lincoln-Way Central: 12-18. Joliet Central: 7-18.
What's Next: No. 13 seed Lincoln-Way Central will meet No. 4 seed Lockport at 6 p.m. on Tuesday in the Stagg regional. Joliet Central's season has concluded.
