Johnson, Thornton power past Benet 63-54

Watching the basketball squirt loose near halfcourt, Thornton senior Morez Johnson glided toward the basket with one thought on his mind.

After enduring a physical, back-and-forth game, the 6-foot-9, 210-pounder unleashed a thundering dunk to put his final stamp on an impressive victory over Benet.

The Illinois recruit racked up 21 points, 10 rebounds and two dunks in a 63-54 victory in the fifth game of the “When Sides Collide” shootout at Benet.

Johnson, the No. 1 senior in the state and a top-30 national recruit, nearly hit his head against the backboard on his dunk with four seconds left.

“It was good, but I wish I had a little (more) energy, I would’ve done a windmill or something, but I just got the easy two,” Johnson said smiling.

Johnson showcased his immense skills in front of a packed gymnasium on a frigid night, banging the boards for putbacks, hitting turnaround jumpers in the lane and running the floor to hand Benet (16-3) just its third loss of the season – and a rare defeat at home.

“Morez Johnson is an elite player,” Benet coach Gene Heidkamp said. “You can’t guard him one-on-one. He makes his teammates better when you have to double him and rotate. To beat a team like that, you have to play better than we played. You have to compete harder.

“We let it get away from us when they had that run and the lead got to 10 points.”

The Redwings sorely missed the presence of senior guard Patrick Walsh, who scored 18 points in Friday’s game against Notre Dame. Walsh left the game in the first half with an injury and did not return.

“That was a big loss for us,” Walsh said.

Benet sophomore Gabe Sularski has witnessed Johnson put together big games on a regular basis, through their friendship and AAU ties. Sularski, who has numerous Power Five offers, is just starting his ascent up the recruiting ladder, while Johnson is aiming to add a few more pages to his in-state legacy.

The 6-6 Sularski finished with 14 points and eight rebounds.

Ironically, the two high-profile players wore the same shoes in Saturday’s game – the Nike Kobe 6 Protro Reverse Grinch. Sularski said he didn’t plan to wear the same shoes as his AAU team, but he did chuckle at the coincidence.

“That was kind of cool,” Sularski said.

Sularski said he enjoyed battling the highly ranked Wildcats and testing his game against Johnson, who guarded Sularski on several possessions late in the game. Sularski said the Redwings, himself included, gained valuable insight playing the Wildcats.

Thornton senior guard Isaiah Green scored 26 points, while Benet was paced by Blake Fagbemi’s 19 points, and Daniel Pauliukonis added 12.

“It was an anticipated game coming in, with both of us on the same travel team together,” Sularski said. “I tried to get some things going more in the second half … I learned we have to approach things differently, cut down on some turnovers. …

“In the first half, I (need) to take more shots and be more aggressive. The second half I picked it up and attacked more.”

The first two-plus quarters featured a back-and-forth game, but the Wildcats (18-2) broke open a 31-28 game by reeling off six straight points, including a 3-pointer by Green.

Thornton capitalized on its depth and athleticism to build the lead to 52-35 following another basket by Green early in the fourth. The Redwings managed to lower the deficit via a late scoring spree by Fagbemi, but Johnson capped the game with his powerful slam.

“The third quarter they hit a couple of 3s, so obviously we have to learn how to bounce back from it and keep playing,” Fagbemi said. “We need to play hard and toward the end; we could’ve come back so every possession matters.”