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Boys Basketball: Remy Roberts-Burnett's Return Sparks Joliet West's Win over Lincoln-Way Central

Joliet West 47, Lincoln-Way Central 41. Knights go cold in fourth quarter as Tigers pull away in Southwest Suburban Blue.

The Hot Read: Joliet West scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter to open up a bit of breathing room in its 47-41 boys basketball victory over Lincoln-Way Central on Friday night. Up to that pont, two two were locked in a tight matchup.The Tigers spoiled Lincoln-Way Central’s Senior Night celebration. The Knights led 11-9 after one quarter, 20-18 at halftime and enjoyed their final lead of the game at 30-28 with 2:10 left in the third quarter. Joliet West’s Remy Roberts-Burnett scored the final basket of the third quarter to put the Tigers ahead 34-31. He opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer. Joliet West went on a 7-0 run and extended its lead to 41-31. The Knights never got closer than the final score.

Patch’s MVP: Joliet West senior Remy Roberts-Burnett returned to the lineup after missing three games because of a concussion and his presence was definitely felt. The 6-foot-1 forward scored a game-high 19 points and added two rebounds and a steal.

Key Stat: Despite shooting an impressive 54 percent from the field (13-of-24) in the first three quarters, Lincoln-Way Central still trailed 34-31. The Knights proceeded to make just 3-of-17 shots (18 percent) in the fourth quarter when Joliet West pulled away. The Tigers earned a split of the season series after Lincoln-Way Central won 25-23 Jan. 7 in Joliet.

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Joliet West Leaders: Remy Roberts-Burnett (19 points, 2 rebounds, steal), Brandon Tyson (8 points, 4 rebounds), Marlon Johnson (5 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, steal), Brian Edwards (4 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals), Brandon McCullum (4 points, 7 rebounds)

Lincoln-Way Central Leaders: Brad Foster (14 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks), Alex Severson (10 points, 5 rebounds, block), Evan Branyik (10 points, 5 rebounds, steal), Johnny Finnin (6 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals)

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Quotable I: Joliet West coach Luke Yaklich on the second-half performance: “Our kids showed a lot of heart and toughness. We came out of the locker room (at halftime) and said we wanted to win the third quarter. We did that and it swung momentum to our side. I was really impressed with our toughness and our grit tonight. Any time you can win on the road in our conference it’s a great win.”

Quotable II: Yaklich on the difference in the game: “It’s been a roller coaster, up-and-down ride. Tonight, it was just a consistent 32-minute effort. We didn’t throw the ball away and gave ourselves a shot to win with our defense. Our defense won the game for us. We got a really good defensive effort from Brian Edwards. Our defense made them work for everything and it got us some transition baskets, which is what we need.”

Quotable II: Lincoln-Way Central coach Bob Curran on the loss: “Give them credit. They limited us to one shot for most of the game. They pressured us on defense and we just didn’t hit our shots. All year we’ve been struggling to put points on the board. A lot of people think we take our time shooting the ball, but in actuality we shoot the ball pretty quick. We just need to make our shots. Our shooting was a little bit better than normal.”

Team records: Joliet West (7-13, 3-8 in Southwest Suburban Blue); Lincoln-Way Central (11-14, 2-9)

What’s next: Lincoln-Way Central will hit the road for a 7 p.m. nonconference game Tuesday against Bradley-Bourbonnais, while Joliet West also will travel for a 7 p.m. nonconference contest Tuesday against Oswego.

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