Boys Basketball: Andrew Pulls Away from Lincoln-Way West

The Skinny: Glorind Lisha was Mr. Sparkplug. Jubril Adekoya was Mr. Stopper.

Lisha and Adekoya combined forces to lead Andrew in a 63-45 boys basketball victory over Lincoln-Way West at The Thunderdome in Tinley Park on Friday night.

Lisha, with two assists, one steal and one 3-pointer, had a direct hand in all nine points as the T-Bolts opened the third quarter on a 9-0 scoring run to pull away from the Warriors in Southwest Suburban Conference Red action.

Lincoln-Way West was within 36-28 at halftime—in large part because of the play of 6-foot-5 freshman Jon Marotta. He made 6-of-7 shots and scored 14 of his 15 points in the first two quarters. Adekoya, the 6-7 senior headed to Valpo, shut him down in the second half after coach Mike O’Halloran made a defensive switch in the locker room.

Patch’s MVP: Glorind Lisha, 6-2, senior, guard, Andrew. Lisha scored 10 points and dished out four assists. He hit his first four shots, including a 3-pointer that pushed Andrew’s lead to 45-28 in the third quarter.

Key Moments: Andrew’s Jubril Adekoya took Lincoln-Way West’s Jon Marotta out of the game in the second half with his deny-the-ball defense in the post. It was senior vs. freshman and Adekoya schooled Marotta after Marotta had his way with the T-Bolts in the first half.

Did You Know? Andrew had 15 assists on 21 made baskets and only six turnovers.

Lincoln-Way West Leaders: Hayden Witt (17 points, 6 rebounds), Jon Marotta (15 points, 3 rebounds), Luke Horvath (5 points, 1 3-pointer), Franco Pettinato (8 points, 1 3-pointer).

Andrew Leaders: Jubril Adekoya (20 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks), Mike Grenda (11 points, 3 assists, 3-of-6 shooting on 3-pointers), Luke Hook (11 points, 3 rebounds), Glorind Lisha (10 points, 4 assists), Gino Karopulos (9 points, 3-of-6 shooting on 3-pointers, 3 assists).

Quotable I: “You know what, Jubril (Adekoya) has been a four-year starter, and that’s what we want our freshman (Jon Marotta) to get to, and I still thought he battled him hard in the second half," Lincoln-Way West coach Jon White said. "And, for a freshman, he doesn’t get lost in the flow of the game. They’re a great team. For us in 3A to play that kind of team, it gets us ready for the regionals no matter what our record is.”

Quotable II: “Yeah, he was doing really well in the first half,” Andrew’s Jubril Adekoya said of Lincoln-Way West counterpart Jon Marotta. “I was just trying to take the leadership role defensively and shut him down, slow him down, and it helped out the team eventually. He can play. I’m humble-headed. But I still don’t think he was as good as I was as a freshman. But he’s a good player. I give him his credit.”

Quotable III: “We tried picking up our defense (in the third quarter), and we knew we would get our offense from our defense,” Andrew’s Glorind Lisha said. “That’s what we stressed.”

Quotable IV: “I thought this was one of the best games he’s played all year,” Andrew coach Mike O’Halloran said of Lisha. “It might not show up in the scoring column, but his deflections and his defensive pressure—his assists—I mean, outstanding. I thought he really sparked us.”

Team Records: Andrew is 11-7 overall and 6-1 in the Southwest Suburban Red. Lincoln-Way West is 1-16 and 0-7.

What’s Next: Both teams resume play at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 29. Lincoln-Way West plays at Stagg. Andrew goes on the road to face Thornton.