Plainfield C. is the big dog
Wildcats pull away from 31-27 halftime advantage
JOLIET -- Not even the Saint Bernard on the wall could save Lockport.
The Plainfield Central boys basketball team broke away from Lockport in the second half, eventually routing the Porters 64-46 in the WJOL Thanksgiving Classic Monday at the University of St. Francis.
The Wildcats (1-0) led Lockport (0-1) by a 31-27 count at halftime, but Porters coach Lawrence Thompson Jr. could sense trouble ahead.
"We were lucky to be in the game in the first half," he said. "They outplayed us from start to finish. They were more aggressive and they were more organized. All credit goes to Plainfield Central. They took us out of our element.
"They outplayed us physically, and I was out-coached. It was a very disappointing effort by me and by my kids."
Central's Winston Williams put in a layup with 5:51 left in the third quarter to make it 37-28. Alonzo Morgan scored to make it 39-28 at the 4:13 mark. The Wildcats added a jumper by guard Derek Marks and back-to-back layups by Jon Dubose to make it 45-31 with 1:54 in the quarter.
The score after three quarters was 45-32, with the Wildcats holding the Porters to just five points.
"Lockport is typically one of the better teams in the area. It was a nice challenge for us," said first-year Wildcats coach Steve Lamberti. "It's always nice to start the season with a team of that caliber.
"I'm proud of our effort. I told the kids if we compete and do things the right way, good things are going to happen for us."
Lockport led 15-13 after the first quarter as forward Karrington Ward scored eight points. The Porters extended their lead to 20-15 on a jumper by Ed Ward with 5:25 to play. The Wildcats then went on a 6-0 run to take a 21-20 lead with 4:26 left in the second quarter.
The lead changed hands two more times before the Wildcats settled into their four-point halftime edge.
"I think in the first half, both teams were just feeling out the way each other was going to play," Lamberti said. "In the second half, it wasn't a case of us playing really good and them playing really bad, it was just a case of we both competed and things went our way tonight."
Williams and Justin Scanlan each scored 15 point for the Wildcats. Marks contributed 14 points while Dubose added 13 points. The Wildcats shot 24-of-42 (57 percent) from the floor.
Dmonte Hopkins led Lockport with 11 points. Karrington Ward finished with 10 points. The Porters shot 15-of-44 (34 percent) from the field.
Lockport only scored 19 points in the second half.
"Defensively, we were able to contest their shots," Lamberti said. "We forced them into taking tough shots. That led us into our offense. Our offense starts with our defense."
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