Subs help Warren sink Joliet West at Pontiac

PONTIAC As he walked onto the floor in the second quarter of the Warren Blue Devils quarterfinal against Joliet West at the 81st Pontiac Holiday Tournament, Warren junior Shayne White had to look around to make sure what he was seeing was true.

"I think all of us were surprised when they called us to go in," White said. "I knew with the way we practiced that we would be ready."

White was ready, as were subs Aarias Austin, Arthell Rosquist and Jon Geske. Warren was in foul trouble, as starters Darius Paul, Nathan Boothe and JoVaughn Gaines were saddled with 2 apiece.

Instead of letting a 6-point lead after one quarter go away, the super subs built the advantage and Warren didn't skip a beat the rest of the way en route to another impressive showing in downing Joliet West 60-29.

Warren (9-1) advances to the semifinals for the fifth time in seven years. The Devils will face Curie, a 60-52 winner over West Aurora, at 1 p.m. Friday. Joliet West falls to 9-3.

"The kids that came in were Austin, Rosquist, White and Geske they all came in and played great team defense," Warren coach Chuck Ramsey said. "We really held our own on the defensive end."

White took his first significant playing time of the year and made the most of it. The standout offensive lineman for the Blue Devils football team moved Tiger defenders around and scored 6 points to help Warren build a 26-14 lead at the break.

"This is a great team that will pick you up if you make a mistake," White said. "I just tried to go and do my job and if I made a mistake I knew my teammates would pick me up."

When the starters came back to start the third quarter, Warren put the game away. A tip-dunk by Gaines and a pair of quick buckets by Western Michigan-bound senior Darius Paul (9 points) helped Warren open up a 41-19 lead after three quarters.

"The juniors on this team are all stepping up and we knew they would," said senior guard Jamaris Smith, who led the team with 7 assists and 8 steals. "Coach Ramsey picked these guys for a reason and today you could see why."

Gaines led all scorers with 14 points, 9 in the second half. The Toledo-bound Boothe had his second outstanding game with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Morris Dunnigan led the Tigers with 11 points.