advertisement

Boys basketball: Bolingbrook rallies to take Tosh tournament championship from Fenwick

Tuesday’s championship game between Bolingbrook and Fenwick in the 50th Jack Tosh Holiday Classic was like a heavyweight fight.

In the first half, both teams took the other’s best shot early and came back to keep fighting. The second half was a knock-down, drag-out battle, with the Raiders eventually pulling away for a 54-48 victory for their first tournament title since 2019.

Bolingbrook’s Davion Thompson — named the tournament MVP — got the Raiders (14-2) off to a quick start by draining a 3-pointer and then scoring on a midrange jumper for a 5-0 lead. All-tournament selection JT Pettigrew followed with a fastbreak dunk for a 7-0 lead before Fenwick’s Jake Thies got the Friars on the scoreboard with a driving basket.

The Raiders continued to rain down the points, as Trey Brost and JT Pettigrew hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Kendall Cutler made a free throw to give them a 14-2 lead with just under three minutes left in the first quarter.

Fenwick (13-3) didn’t let that opening burst faze them, and they chipped away at the lead. The Friars got a 3-pointer from all-tournament selection Nate Marshall and fellow all-tourney pick Dominick Ducree ended the quarter with a short jumper to make it 14-7 at the end of the quarter.

The Friars continued to thunder away at the Raiders.

Trailing 18-11, Fenwick’s Ty Marcariola, another all-tournament pick, sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around one by Ducree, and suddenly Fenwick had its first lead at 20-18. The points kept coming for the Friars, and the defense kept Bolingbrook from scoring. The Raiders got just a pair of free throws by Pettigrew late in the second to make it 27-20, but Ducree answered with a 3-pointer to send his team into halftime with a 30-20 lead.

“The last couple of games, we had stretches where we weren’t doing much offensively,” Bolingbrook coach Rob Brost said. “There were a lot of guys just watching the other guys and not playing together.

“The flip side of that is that when we do play together, we can score points in a hurry.”

That was certainly the case in the second half. The Raiders began by scoring the first nine points of the third quarter to cut the deficit to 30-29. Marshall ended the run with a basket at the 2:50 mark of the third, but Pettigrew answered with a basket.

Thies made a pair of free throws before Cutler converted a three-point play to tie it at 34 with 1:49 left in the third. Freshman Brady Pettigrew, another all-tournament pick, hit a 3-pointer to give the Raiders the lead 37-34, and Thompson made a free throw before the end of the quarter to send the Raiders into the fourth with a 38-34 edge.

“We knew this game was going to be a fight,” Thompson said. “Being down at halftime, we knew what we had to do in the second half.

“We like to play in tight games like this against good teams. It helps us see where we stand and what we need to work on.”

Fenwick got a 3-pointer from Jimmy Watts to pull to within 41-37, but Thompson scored back-to-back baskets to give the Raiders a 45-37 lead. Ducree answered with a 3-pointer and a baseline jumper to pull the Friars to within 45-42.

With 4:50 to play, Thompson landed hard on his hand after a drive and had to leave the game. He returned at the 4:06 mark and played the rest of the way.

Trey Brost nailed a 3-pointer with 3:23 left to put Bolingbrook ahead 50-42, but Fenwick wasn’t done yet. The Friars got consecutive baskets from Deonte Meeks, Marshall and Thies to cut the lead to 50-48, but Thompson and JT Pettigrew each made a pair of free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal it.

“I am happy for these guys,” Rob Brost said. “There are so many expectations for this team, and it’s good to see them win this title. Give credit to Fenwick. They are a talented team and very well-coached.

“We have won this tournament before, and we have played on the final day every year that we’ve been in it. The expectations come from outside the locker room, but these guys understand what we are trying to do.”

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.