Thornton’s three-headed monster of a backcourt continues to garner plenty of attention — and rightfully so — but the Wildcats are much more than just Sam Taylor III, Patrick Rucker and Curtis Dilworth.
Christian Anderson put his stamp on the final moments of a rivalry game Friday. The 6-foot junior guard delivered two steals in the final 30 seconds to douse host Thornwood’s rally as Thornton held on for a 75-68 SouthWest Suburban Red victory.
“That’s one thing I love about this team,” Taylor said. “Somebody always steps up when we need it.”
Thornwood held a 70-68 lead with 31 seconds left and had the ball, but Anderson came up with a steal after a missed free throw by Taylor.
Dilworth was quickly fouled and went 1-for-2 on free throws. Anderson came up with another steal 20 seconds later to put the game away.
“It was a big time to step up,” Anderson said. “My role is to come in and play hard and bring energy.”
Taylor finished with 20 points, Dilworth had 18, and Orlando Allen Jr. added 17 points, eight rebounds and four blocks for the Wildcats (12-1, 5-0).
Marcus Hussey was a beast for Thornwood (7-9, 3-3), scoring 12 of his career-high 28 points in the fourth quarter.
Hussey is normally known for his perimeter shooting, but the 6-foot guard dominated by driving to the basket. Without him, the score could have been much more lopsided.
“(Hussey’s) got an extra battery pack in him,” Thornwood coach Paul Slavich said. “He’s a pretty determined kid when we give him the green light and tell him to shoot.”
With Drew Evans (15 points) drawing plenty of attention from Thornton’s defense, the game started to open up for Hussey.
“I used my quickness to my advantage,” Hussey said. “My coaches told me not to go side to side, go to the basket. I don’t usually get to the whole like that because I’m smaller. I just have to find ways to create my shot.”
Hussey scored the first three baskets of the fourth quarter and then cut Thornton’s lead 64-62 on a pair of free throws. But the Thunderbirds could not grab control.
Allen followed up by scoring on a putback as Thornton never trailed after a back-and-forth first quarter. Allen grabbed six rebounds in the fourth.
“I was doing pretty bad in the first half and I had to buff up on that,” Allen said. “It was a very physical game and they’re a physical team. We just stayed hot, and we stayed with that energy that no matter what, we can beat anyone.”
Crete-Monee 57, Bloom 54 (OT): Dwayne Rose (22 points) and Victor Curry (13 rebounds) lifted Crete-Monee (12-4, 4-0 Southland).
Lincoln-Way Central 63, Lincoln-Way North 53: Isaac Panfil (25 points) spurred Central (12-3, 3-2 SWSC Red).
Seton 56, Providence 46: Albert Haskins Jr. (14 points, 12 rebounds) led Seton (14-4, 4-1 Catholic South).
Rich Central 61, Kankakee 48: Glen Abram’s 23 points guided Rich Central (9-7, 3-1 Southland).
Richards 60, Lemont 53: Jaylan Catledge (17 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocked shots) boosted Richards (9-9, 5-2 SSC Red).
Marist 61, Carmel 47: Kevin Lerma posted 22 points for Marist (14-3, 2-1 ESCC).
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Oak Forest 69, Eisenhower 52: Marshaud Watkins (25 points) paced Oak Forest (11-5, 5-2 SSC Blue).
Andrew 57, Bradley-Bourbonnais 47: Shaddie Daifallah (16 points, 8 rebounds) propelled Andrew (7-7, 2-3 SWSC Red).
St. Rita 76, St. Francis de Sales 53: Chris Williams (26 points) and Temon Green (14 rebounds) starred for St. Rita (7-9, 3-2 Catholic South).
Oak Lawn 50, Bremen 43: Odeh Alshaikh had 18 points and 13 rebounds for Oak Lawn (5-11, 1-5 SSC Red).
Thornridge 52, Lincoln-Way West 49: Demetri Woods (14 points) sparked Thornridge (5-9, 3-2 SWSC Red).
De La Salle 69, Marmion 67: George Willborn registered 18 points for De La Salle (12-4, 3-2 Catholic North).
Joliet Catholic 58, Marian Central 48: Jalen Jackson (29 points) propelled Joliet Catholic (13-2, 2-1 ESCC).
T.F. South 43, Shepard 34: Myles Cephas had 11 points for T.F. South (8-9, 4-4 SSC Blue).
Illiana Christian 58, Chicago Christian 56: Matthew Zandstra (16 points) led Illiana (14-3, 4-1 MSC East).
Joliet Central 47, Sandburg 38: Zak Razik put in 17 points for Sandburg (6-9, 1-4 SWSC Blue).
Rich South 55, Rich East 36: Malik Osborne (17 points) aided Rich South (8-6, 2-2 Southland).
Illinois Lutheran 52, Donovan 37: Trevor Henschel netted 13 points for Illinois Lutheran (8-5, 2-3 RVC).
Girls Basketball
Morgan Park 76, Lindblom 36: Deja Cage (23 points) carried Morgan Park (17-1, 7-0 Public Windy City South).
Marian Catholic 65, Marian Central 38: Janae Poisson chalked up 25 points for Marian (12-8, 2-1 ESCC).
Argo 61, T.F. North 42: Chatori Tyler (18 points) keyed Argo (12-7, 5-2 SSC Red).
East Peoria 43, Rich South 37: Dasia Evans (17 points, 10 rebounds) led Rich South (10-9) in the Washington (lll.) MLK Invitational.
Wrestling
Sandburg 52, Lockport 21: Louie Hayes (113 pounds) and Cole Bateman (195) contributed pins for Sandburg (17-0).
District 228 Cup: Eric Schultz (195) won three times as Tinley Park (20-5, 12-1 SSC Blue) defeated Hillcrest 71-3, Bremen 67-3 and Oak Forest 35-20.
Men’s Volleyball
St. Francis (Pa.) 26-21-25-17-15, Lewis 24-25-23-25-8: Trevor Weiskircher (16 kills) and Patrick Lilly (13 kills, 10 digs) paced Lewis (3-2).
Logan Malloy is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. Freelance writer Josh Krockey contributed to this story.