Boys Basketball: Bloom controls boards, Plainfield North

A dominant performance on the glass led No. 15 Bloom to a 62-44 victory over Plainfield North Saturday night in the second annual Crete-Monee Shootout.

The Blazing Trojans held a 38-14 rebounding advantage over the Tigers; 12 of those rebounds were on the offensive glass.

“We work a lot on rebounding and boxing out,” said Johnny Griffin, who led all scorers with 14 points and six rebounds.

Bloom (5-0) opened with a 17-5 first-quarter lead, but poor free-throw shooting (2-of-8) gave Plainfield North an opportunity to get back into the game. The Tigers, however, were only able to cut the deficit by three points, trailing 27-18 at halftime.

Thirty-nine seconds into the second half, Nyhree Mitchell (seven points, six rebounds) led a decisive 14-3 run that gave Bloom a 43-23 lead with about two minutes left in the third quarter. Five different Blazing Trojans contributed to the key stretch.

“We play better as a team,” Griffin said. “Just pass the ball and find the open man.”

Lejavius Johnson contributed 11 points and 11 rebounds for Bloom. Donald Moore added 12 points and five rebounds.

Jake Nowak and Jeremy Bert each scored eight points to lead Plainfield North (1-5).

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