Sports

Boys Basketball: Bloom Takes Out H-F in Sectional Final

Bloom 43, Homewood-Flossmoor 32: Donald Moore's 20 points paced the Blazing Trojans in the championship game of the Class 4A Lockport Sectional on Friday night.

The Skinny: Donald Moore launched Bloom Township on its way to a 43-32 victory over Homewood-Flossmoor with a burst of speed running the Blazing Trojans’ fastbreak Friday in the championship game of the Class 4A Lockport Sectional. He finished out the game with a show of poise while standing still at the free throw line. Moore made 12-of-13 free throws in the fourth quarter and scored a game-high 20 points as Bloom won its first sectional title since 2000 and completed a three-game sweep over Homewood-Flossmoor. The Blazing Trojans defeated the Vikings twice earlier during regular-season play.

Patch’s MVP: Donald Moore, 6-0 senior guard, Bloom Township. Moore made 12-of-13 free throws in the fourth quarter and scored a game-high 20 points. He also pushed the pace in the second quarter with a show of his lightning quickness running the Blazing Trojans’ fastbreak.

Key Moments: Bloom used a 12-1 scoring run to open the second quarter. Donald Moore twice powered the ball up the floor and into the teeth of Homewood-Flossmoor’s defense, then kicked it out to teammate Lejavius Johnson. Johnson knocked down a pair of 3-pointers as the Blazing Trojans opened leads of 18-11 and 24-13. Homewood-Flossmoor clawed back within 35-32 on a free throw by Tyrone Sherman with 2:48 remaining, but the Vikings were unable to keep the ball out of Moore’s hands in the waning moments. He scored the game's final eight points—all on free throws—over the course of the last 2:16. Sherman was limited to five points on 1-of-18 shooting.

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Homewood-Flossmoor Leaders: Tim Williams (11 points, 6 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 steals), Mauris Hill (9 points, 11 rebounds).

Bloom Leaders: Donald Moore (20 points, 18-of-20 free throws), Lejavius Johnson (11 points, 8 rebounds, 2 3-pointers), Johnny Griffin (3 points, 10 rebounds).

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Quotable I: “Yeah, we knew this was going to be a tough game, playing a team for the third time,” Bloom guard Donald Moore said. “A lot of people like to say the third time’s a charm. We wanted to not let that happen tonight because we wanted to keep moving on. We’ve worked too hard all season to let our season end in the sectionals.”

Quotable II: “I feel just elated for our student-athletes,” Bloom coach Jasper Williams said. “They’ve worked real hard all year. It started in the summer when this young man (Lejavius Johnson), Henry Hicks and Donald Moore were in the gym. All the other kids picked up on it. And that’s what senior leadership is all about.”

Team Records: Bloom is 27-3. Homewood-Flossmoor finishes 22-8.

What’s Next: Bloom advances to the Normal Supersectional at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 13. The Blazing Trojans will face Edwardsville at Illinois State’s Redbird Arena. Edwardsville ousted Pekin 51-43.


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