Boys Basketball: Bloom Rallies to Turn Tables on Sandburg

The Skinny: Donald Moore, Lejavius Johnson and Henry Hicks—three seniors fighting to continue their high school basketball careers—made big plays and big shots in the fourth quarter of Bloom Township’s 40-37 victory over Sandburg Friday in the championship game of the Class 4A Joliet Central Regional. Sandburg built a 27-15 third-quarter lead on the strength of a pullup baseline jumper from Nick Lehnerer.

The Eagles controlled the boards and frustrated the Trojans with their 2-3 zone defense for nearly 24 minutes. Then, it was like somebody pushed the Easy Button. The Blazing Trojans started hitting long-range shots. Their crowd started making noise and the tempo turned frenetic. Moore scored seven of his game-high 14 points in the fourth quarter, including four straight free throws in the final 23 seconds. Johnson nailed a 3-ball and Hicks sank a pair of free throws to give Bloom the lead. Sandburg’s Nick Lehnerer missed on two chances to hit a tying 3-pointer on the game’s final possession.

Patch’s MVP: Donald Moore, 6-0 senior guard, Bloom Township. Moore was Mr. Clutch for the Blazing Trojans down the stretch. He drained a 3-pointer from the left wing to pull Bloom within 31-25. Then, he hit four straight free throws in the final 23 seconds as the Blazing Trojans won their first regional championship since 2008.

Key Moments: Sandburg led for nearly 30 minutes thanks to a 2-3 zone that forced Bloom to play on the perimeter. The Eagles used their size and length to frustrate the Blazing Trojans, control the boards and the pace of play. Ken Payonk, a 6-7 senior center, scored seven of his 11 points in the second quarter. The first lead change came when Bloom’s Henry Hicks hit two free throws to give the Blazing Trojans a 36-35 edge with 2:35 remaining.

Sandburg Leaders: Ken Payonk (11 points, 4 rebounds), Joe Kuligoski (10 points, 7 rebounds), Nick Lehnerer (9 points, 1 3-pointer).

Bloom Leaders: Donald Moore (14 points, 9-of-10 free throws), Nyhree Mitchell (6 points), Lejavius Johnson (5 points, all in the fourth quarter, 1 3-pointer), Dejahown Freeman (5 points, 3 rebounds), Jataryan Dejaraux (2 points, 4 rebounds).

Quotable I: “They weren’t really frustrating us,” Bloom’s Donald Moore said. “We knew they were going to come out in a 2-3 zone. We haven’t really worked on it all year because a lot of teams played us man. So, it was kind of different, working on our offense 1-3-1 against their zone. Yeah, we were standing around too much. Shots were falling. That’s why we were so slow coming out.”

Quotable II: “The kids did a great job,” Sandburg coach Todd Allen said. “I’m proud of them. I told them before the game when we get back in here make sure you can look me in the eye and say you left absolutely nothing out on that court. And we didn’t. Our effort was fantastic. We just didn’t make enough plays down the stretch. Bloom stepped up and made shots. But a great high school game. Great battle. Two quality teams, I thought.”

Team Records: Bloom is 25-3. Sandburg finishes 16-11. The Eagles defeated the Blazing Trojans 47-43 in overtime when the two first met on the MLK Day of Hoops event at Joliet Central, rallying from nine points down in the final two minutes of regulation. In the rematch, the two reversed roles.

What’s Next: Bloom moves on to face Thornton at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday (March 6) in a semifinal game at the Lockport Sectional. Thornton defeated Joliet West 45-41.