5 Takeaways: Bolingbrook vs Romeoville
5 Takeaways: Bolingbrook vs Romeoville
Bolingbrook 84 – Romeoville 63
Romeoville, Il –It was a matchup of two unbeaten teams in an early season game Where Bolingbrook made the short trek to Romeoville to face the Spartans. This was a highly anticipated game it two teams that come in with high expectations on the year. The Raiders are coming off a 4A third place finish, and returned some key pieces from that team in 2018 PG Kaleb Thornton and 2019s Joe Yesufu and Tyler Cochran. While Romeoville hopes to turn the corner as they return 2018 PG DeAndre Heckard, and 2018 G Eddie Creal transferred in from Joliet West.
It was an up and down game in the first half with several lead changes and at the end of the 1st half Bolingbrook lead Romeoville 33-32. 2019 G Tyler Cochran was a little banged up with an ankle injury but came off the bench and really gave Bolingbrook a spark. Things shifted Bolingbrook’s way in the 3rd quarter as they picked up the full court pressure defense that lead to points off of turnovers. Bolingbrook’s attacking style got them easy baskets or to the line and they extended their lead to 60-49 after three quarters of play. Romeoville Senior’s Eddie Creal and DeAndre Heckard made push to cut the lead down but the guard play of Bolingbrook was just too much as they won the game 86-63. Here are 5 Takeaways from the game.
Bolingbrook’s guard play
Bolingbrook has great depth at guard and can play multiple Point Guards on the court at the same time to find a mismatch. Senior guard Kaleb Thornton had a great second half for the Raiders where he was attacking the rim, dishing out assists, and defending and getting steals in the passing lanes. He finished the game with 19 points mostly coming in the second half. Bolingbrook also got good play from 2019 G- Joe Yesufu who also made some big plays down the stretch. They also have 2019 PG Demari Grant and 2018 Isaiah Clemons. That is four guards all capable of being the primary ball handler and beating their man off the dribble and putting pressure on the defense. All four range in the 5’11- 6’0’’ range but they used their quickness and style of play to go against a lineup of bigger guards in Heckard and Creal with no major issues.
Tyler Cochran is a player
The 6’2’’ 2019 guard for Bolingbrook did it all in this game. He finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds, all while playing on an injured ankle. Cochran can play and defend virtually any position on the court. This makes him valuable as he can exploit mismatches. He has good build and isn’t afraid to bang and get physical for rebounds, has a solid handle and can score from all three levels. Cochran continues to find ways to impact the game and help his team and he did just that in the win over Romeoville. Cochran currently has 8+ Division 1 offers.
Romeoville has the pieces
Romeoville looked much improved from last year and the addition Eddie Creal helps them a lot. He finished the game with 18 points and get a nice job attacking the lane. Destin Whitaker is a player who looked to show promise who is only a sophomore. DeAndre Heckard is the catalyst who they will need to play well if they want to make a run in the postseason he finished with 18 points. Dontia Johnson has played well in flashes and in other games seems to disappear. He will need to be a presence down low to give them someone in the lane that can grab rebounds, but he has potential just needs to bring it night in and night out. Silly turnovers and fouls hurt Romeoville down the stretch and if they can improve on that and limit mistakes we may see a rematch of the two teams later in the season.
Fresh faces give Bolingbrook a lift
Bolingbrook has two fresh faces in the starting lineup this year in 6’1’’ G Jordan Myrick and 6’7’ C Joseph Saracco. Both played well for the Raiders in the 1st half keeping them in the game. Myrick is a big bodied guard who uses strength to get to the lane while Saracco is a big center who showed soft hands while catching passes from slashing guards for easy lay-ups. The post presence of Saracco gives them someone to protect the rim and rebound when they go with a three-guard lineup of guards that give up size.
Underclassmen to track
Romeoville has two underclassmen getting minutes for the Spartans freshman G Isaiah Barnes is 6’5’’ and Sophomore Destin Whitaker 6’4’’ both guards made some mistakes but also showed promise. Whitaker has a fundamentally sound shot and hit a three and Barnes made some good plays at the rim. Both will be prospects to keep an eye on and track their development.