CHICAGO -- The opportunity for a high school basketball team to play at the United Center is a thrill.
The Bolingbrook High School boys experienced that on Tuesday afternoon during a Southwest Suburban Conference crossover against Bradley-Bourbonnais.
And the Raiders made the most of their visit to the Bulls' home by routing Bradley 65-36.
The win was the fourth straight for the Raiders (9-4), who won the consolation championship at the annual Rich South Big Dipper Christmas Tournament last week.
"I'm very happy with our defensive effort," Bolingbrook coach Rob Brost said. "The kids were amped up to come here and do well. To play on the same floor that Michael Jordan and many other greats have played on was a great experience for our players.
"Playing at the United Center was fun. But it was even more fun to get a win."
There were five lead changes in the first quarter which ended in an 11-11 tie.
The game was knotted at 13-all when senior guard Diamond Taylor (14 points) hit a 3-pointer to give the Raiders the lead for good.
Taylor's trey sparked a 14-2 run to put the 'Brook up 27-15 at halftime. In that surge, Taylor scored 7 points and Anthony Greene's pass to Antoine Cox (team-high 16 points) produced a thunderous dunk.
In the first half, the Raiders shot 44 percent (11-of-25) while Bradley shot 35 percent (7-of-20).
"We're getting back into it now the last few games," Taylor said. "We won a few at the end of the Rich South Tournament and now we are getting it back."
The Raiders' defense forced Bradley (3-8) into 20 turnovers, including 11 in the second half.
Cox, who shot 6-of-10, scored Bolingbrook's first 3 points in the second half to extend the lead to 30-15.
After the Boilermakers cut the margin to 30-20, the Raiders rushed out to a 36-24 margin. A 12-0 spurt later in the third quarter made the lead 48-24 with 1:39 remaining.
The 6-3 Cox tallied 8 points and the 6-4 Greene scored 6 of his 10 points in the third quarter. For the game, Greene shot 5-of-7.
Bolingbrook owned a 50-30 cushion after three quarters. The closest that the Boilermakers could get in the second half was 10 points.
"Our bench stepped up and we were able to play a lot of people," Brost said. "In particular, Eric Walker played well. We played hard from start to finish and that's what you like to see from your players."
Walker, a junior guard, scored 6 points.
In the Battle of Valley View, the Raiders host Romeoville at 2 p.m. Saturday in a nonconference game.
Bolingbrook won its first five games before losing four straight.
"We're playing better of late," Brost said. "We're receiving contributions from many players."
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