Boys Basketball: Joliet West cruises past Romeoville

Updated: January 16, 2012 8:52PM

Joliet West coach Luke Yaklich might just have made a discovery.

The Tigers scored the first 15 points en route to a 27-7 first-quarter lead and coasted past Romeoville 76-34 Monday in the MLK Day of Hoops at Joliet Central.

But even though he was not on the floor for the beginning of the romp, 6-foot-2 senior forward Brian Edwards supplied significant fireworks in his new role as sixth man.

Edwards scored 20 of his game-high 22 points in the final 12 minutes of the first half and finished 7-of-10 from the field and 8-of-8 from the free-throw line. Dominique Arrington, who is beginning to earn more quality minutes, chipped in with 13 points and Ryan Modiest added 11 for West (11-4), which made 18-of-20 free throws in building a 43-18 halftime lead.

“Brian has had games of eight, 13 and 22 (points) off the bench,” Yaklich said of Edwards. “We just thought the sixth-man role that he’s in, when the other team subs, too, that might work to our advantage. He obviously is good enough to start, but there are some things as sixth man that seem to fit him well.”

“Everyone wants to start,” Edwards said. “If I’m not starting, I have to have energy off the bench. My first game doing it was against (Joliet) Central and it went well. Coach said we’re going to try it and see if things work out.”

“Brian is active, a great athlete and a great kid,” Yaklich said. “He has a high motor and when he plays well, it is hard to stop him.”

Romeoville (5-13), which was hit with three technical fouls in the first 3:56 to help dig the 15-0 hole, was victimized by the Tigers’ high-energy press. When the Spartans did break through the pressure and go to the basket, 6-9 Marlon Johnson was there to swat the ball away or alter the shot.

“Joliet West did an outstanding job with their pressure,” Romeoville coach Jeff Bambule said. “Luke is getting his kids to get after it.

“Maybe not as much in this game, but I’ve seen Johnson before, and he is impressive.”

Spartans post player Uchenna Akuba went at Johnson with all he had and led Romeoville with nine points, all in the first half.

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