It’s possible that nobody on Joliet Central’s roster would crack the starting lineup on the other side of town.
The Division I talent belongs to Joliet West, along with the headlines, rankings and attention from college coaches.
Joliet Central’s experience has been different. The results, to this point, have been pretty similar.
Fresh off the large-school championship at the State Farm Holiday Classic in Bloomington-Normal, the Steelmen extended their winning streak to 10 on Friday night with a 59-38 victory over Oswego East.
Jose Grubbs led a balanced Central attack with 14 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots as the Steelmen (13-1, 5-0 Southwest Prairie) ran away from Oswego East (10-4, 4-1) in the second half to keep pace with No. 7 Joliet West in the conference standings.
“I think we definitely put a chip on our shoulder being known as the secondary team in Joliet,” Grubbs said. “We kind of took that along with us throughout this year. Why not us be up there, be a top-ranked team, knocking off well-known teams? Why not?”
Most of those teams have Division I talent, though all of them could use a gritty, do-it-all player like Grubbs.
The 6-foot-3 senior scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half, rarely looking at the basket before knocking down a pair of 3s and a deep 2 late in the third quarter as Central pulled away from a six-point halftime lead.
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The Steelmen have plenty of other scoring options; Grubbs’ hustle is a less-quantifiable reason for their success.
“He has an unbelievable motor,” said first-year Joliet Central coach Larry Thompson, who was Lockport’s coach for 16 seasons ending in 2015. “And when his teammates realize he has a mismatch, or when he realizes he has an advantage, he doesn’t just take it. He does everything in the flow of the offense.”
Mike Helfgot is a freelance reporter for the baiduhai.
Player of the game: Jose Grubbs, Joliet Central, 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks.
Key performers: Joliet Central — Don Joachim, 13 points. Oswego East — Stephon Harris, 8 points.