Girls Basketball: L-W Central Snared in Joliet West's Trap

The Skinny: Joliet West sprang a trap on Lincoln-Way Central in a 45-25 girls basketball victory on Thursday night in New Lenox—a half-court  trap. West forced nine  first-half turnovers and scored 16 transition points en route to building a 26-10 lead. When Central did get back on defense, West’s Khadija Cooley used dribble-penetration to break down the Knights’ defense. She scored eight of her game-high 15 points in the third quarter.

Patch’s MVP: Khadija Cooley, 5-4, senior guard, Joliet West. Cooley made 7-of-12 shots and scored a game-high 15 points. She used dribble-penetration to break down Central’s defense. When she didn’t score herself, she created opportunities for her teammates.

Key Moments: Joliet West used an 8-1 run to end the first quarter. Kailey Foster capped the spree with a 3-pointer at the buzzer to put the Tigers up 15-8. Cooley scored the final two baskets of the first half as West pushed its lead to 26-10. First, she turned a steal into a layup. Then, she used a drive and spin move to escape from traffic in the lane.

Joliet West Leaders: Khadija Cooley (15 points, 7-of-12 shooting), Aaliyah Stepney (7 points, 10 rebounds), Vicky Orasco (7 points, 6 rebounds), Kailey Foster (6 points, 2 3-pointers), Lanita Hinton (6 points).

Lincoln-Way Central Leaders: Veronica Baldermann (6 points, 3-of-4 shooting), Kelsie Foster (5 points, 1-of-5 3-pointers), Ashley Newton (3 points, all in the first quarter), Rachel Post (3 points).

Quotable I: “We didn’t do a good job of taking care of the basketball,” Lincoln-Way Central coach Chris Fetherling said. “In the first half, we had had nine turnovers and they scored 16 points off of them. You’re looking at a situation where you can’t give up easy points like that, especially against a team that’s got good guards like that.”

Quotable II: “It was just like our whole game was off,” Joliet West’s Khadija Cooley said of the Tigers’ loss to Lincoln-Way Central in the first meeting between the two teams. “We weren’t in our element. We weren’t running up and down the court like we usually do, getting out on fast-breaks. We just didn’t feel it that game. And they took advantage of everything that we didn’t do. We made sure our defense was aggressive this time. We trapped them each and every time we could. Any time we got a steal or a defensive rebound, we went down the court and took advantage of the fast-break points.”

Team Records: Lincoln-Way Central slipped to 11-10 overall and 3-6 in the Southwest Suburban Blue. Joliet West is 7-13 and 3-6.

What’s Next: Lincoln-Way Central plays host to Lockport at 5 p.m. Tuesday (Jan. 31). Joliet West takes on Chicago Maria at 5:30 p.m. Friday (Jan. 27) at JT West.