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Girls Basketball: Joliet West takes charge vs Joliet Central
Updated: January 4, 2012 11:46PM
The battle for girls basketball supremacy in Joliet turned into a track meet in the second half Wednesday night as Joliet Central and host Joliet West raced up and down the floor with almost every possession.
West outscored Central 22-12 in the third quarter to take a 45-34 lead, then went on to claim bragging rights with a 63-48 SouthWest Suburban Blue victory.
“Everybody waits on this game,’’ West’s Vicky Orasco said. “We came ready. We knew what we had to do.’’
Orasco certainly knew her role in the crosstown rivalry. The junior forward led West (5-7, 1-2) with a game-high 17 points and 13 rebounds, including six points and five boards during the decisive third quarter.
“When she’s on, she’s tough,’’ West coach Kevin Michaels said. “She’s 5-foot-10, but she plays like a 6-1, 6-2 girl. She’s come a long way in her offensive game.’’
“The score was getting kind of tight, so I had to step up and do something, and everybody else would pitch in,’’ Orasco said.
Kailey Foster came off the bench to hit back-to-back three-pointers to extend West’s lead to 41-28 with 2:03 left in the third quarter.
“She’s the best three-point shooter on our team,’’ Michaels said. “When teams go zone on us, we like to get her in. That was the turning point, once we built that lead.’’
Aaliyah Stepney finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds and Lanita Hinton scored all nine of her points in the fourth quarter to help West keep the lead. Central called a timeout less than a minute into the final quarter after a Hinton basket and a layup by Stepney gave the Tigers a commanding 49-34 advantage.
“We knew we had to dominate in the third quarter and the fourth to win,’’ Orasco said. “We knew they came to play.’’
Central (6-9, 1-3) was led by Nijea Dixon (14 points) and Bernasia Fox (13).
“We played really tight tonight,’’ Central coach Brian Reed said. “It’s our crosstown rival. Our girls just came out tight. West played a great game.’’
West led 23-22 at halftime led by 10 points from Orasco and seven from Stepney. Both players also had six first-half rebounds.
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