Senior guard Isaiah Green has had more than his share of ups and downs throughout his high school career. His first season at Thornton has been no different.
Green looked like an emerging star as a sophomore at Hillcrest. But after transferring to Kenwood, he never really carved out a consistent role last season.
After an inconsistent start with the Wildcats, Green is starting to get his swagger back.
“My confidence was down a little bit after last season, but my parents are always there for me and my supporters, so I was all right,” he said. “My confidence is coming back now.
“They’re putting the ball in my hands. They let me be me.”
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Green continued his hot streak Thursday night, scoring 15 of his 18 points in the second half as visiting Thornton rallied from an early 13-point deficit for a 54-43 Southland Conference win over Rich Township.
Meyoh Swansey scored 15 points for the Wildcats (20-2, 7-1), while Illinois recruit Morez Johnson fought through a tough shooting night to produce 14 points and 17 rebounds.
Jayden Wiliams led Rich Township (15-7, 3-3) with 15 points and six rebounds. Jamson Coulter and Samar Bures each finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Thornton trailed 15-2 after one quarter following a horrendous shooting start. Swansey scored 12 points in the second quarter to help right the ship and send the game to halftime in a 23-23 tie.
Then Green took control in the second half. He scored eight points in the final five minutes of the game as the Wildcats outscored the Raptors 11-2 down the stretch after leading just 43-41.
Green converted on three huge drives to the basket in crunchtime.
“Our shots weren’t falling, so we had to attack the rim,” Green said. “With the game on the line, I’m going to attack the rim.”
Green has stepped up in a big way lately, including a career-high 26-point performance in Saturday’s win over Benet.
“The last few games, he’s been killing it,” Swansey said of Green. “I really like what he’s been doing. He’s getting into his groove. That’s what we need as a team to win — we need all of us going.
“Chase (Abraham) had a tough night but he’s one of the best players on our team. If all of us get going at the same time, I feel like we’re unstoppable.”
Green is starting to get that feeling, too.
“I feel good,” he said. “They call me ‘the floor general.’ They trust me with the ball, and they boost me up and keep my confidence up. I love it. I enjoy it.”
On his 18th birthday, Johnson was off with his shooting most of the night, finishing 5 of 12 from the field and 3 of 12 on free throws. But he hit a big 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer and scored twice inside in the fourth.
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Meanwhile, his teammates picked him up and the Wildcats shook off the disastrous start.
Green was never worried.
“We’ve been down before so I wasn’t really nervous,” he said. “I knew we were going to fight back. We’re not soft. We’re not going to let up.”
Thornton coach Tai Streets sees Green coming into his own and knows how much better that makes the Wildcats.
“He’s taken over as quarterback of the team, and that’s what we need him to do,” Streets said. “He’s distributing the ball and scoring it, and he guards the other team’s best player on the perimeter, too.
“It was a matter of getting his confidence back. We told him, ‘Hey, you’re the leader of the team.’ Now he knows.”