Sports

Boys Basketball: Andrew Shrugs Off Slow Start, Pulls Away From Tinley Park

Andrew 58, Tinley Park 37: Jubril Adekoya scored nine of his game-high 17 points in the fourth quarter as the T-Bolts took the key to the city and extended their win streak to 14. He also grabbed 17 rebounds.

The Skinny: Andrew won the key to the city with a 58-37 boys basketball victory over Tinley Park on Tuesday night in the battle for bragging rights on the Titans’ floor. But in order to turn the trick, the T-Bolts needed to overcome a sluggish start, due in part to a 10-day layoff. They needed to move their “bigs” up top so they could pass the ball over a scrappy Tinley Park defense. And the T-Bolts needed to rely on their own defense to get them through some rocky moments. Andrew limited Tinley Park to 13-of-53 shooting (26.4 percent), including 2-for-23 from 3-point range. Finally, the T-Bolts’ Jubril Adekoya took over the boards—and the game. He scored nine of his 17 points in the fourth quarter. He also grabbed nine rebounds.

Patch’s MVP: Jubril Adekoya, 6-6, junior forward, Andrew. He made 7-of-11 shots and scored nine of his 17 points in the fourth quarter. He also grabbed 17 rebounds.

Key Moments: Tinley Park closed within 22-19 on a jumper by Jon Calhoun with 6:24 remaining in the third quarter. Andrew responded with scoring runs of 7-0 and 11-2. The T-Bolts stretched their lead to 44-30 when Glorind Lisha flipped the ball back to Jubril Adekoya for a layup. Adekoya was fouled. He missed the free throw, but grabbed his own rebound. He missed one shot, then added the putback to finish an overpowering flurry.

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Andrew Leaders: Jubril Adekoya (17 points, 7-of-11 shooting, 17 rebounds), Glorind Lisha (13 points, 8 in the fourth quarter), Alex Zappavigna (12 points, 10 in the second half, 4 rebounds), Mike Bobek (6 points).

Tinley Park Leaders: Vincent Gooden (9 points, 1 3-pointer), Jon Calhoun (7 points, 5 rebounds), Kelvin Dorsey (6 points), Greg Martin (6 points, 7 rebounds).

Find out what's happening in Tinley Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Quotable I: “I told the guys in the locker room, every night you can’t control your offense,” Andrew coach Mike O’Halloran said. “And a lot of times it’s to the credit of the opposing team’s defense. But defense never takes a night off. Our defense is going to always be there and that’s why we’re having success.”

Quotable II: “A lot of bragging rights—we want to run Tinley Park basically,” Andrew’s Glorind Lisha said. “So,  we want to perform for Tinley Park and show everybody that we’re the better team.”

Team Records: Andrew is 14-0. Tinley Park slipped to 10-9.

What’s Next: Andrew faces Lincoln-Way West at 7 p.m. Friday (Jan. 27) in New Lenox. Tinley Park plays host to Thornton Fractional South at 7 p.m. Friday.


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