Boys basketball: Luke Grevengoed heats up to help Joliet West get past Plainfield East

JOLIET – As a sophomore in the starting lineup for Joliet West, Luke Grevengoed’s role so far has mainly revolved around playing tough defense and doing the little things for the Tigers.

But Grevengoed can shoot, too. And he’s starting to feel more comfortable asserting himself in the offense more.

“I feel like I need to start playing with confidence every game and trusting my shot,” Grevengoed said. “I’m putting in the work. My teammates trust me more and pass me the ball more.”

Grevengoed stepped up in a big way Friday night, scoring 11 of his 14 points in the second half as the host Tigers rallied for a 68-63 win over Plainfield East in a Southwest Prairie Conference game.

“Up until this point, Luke’s been our defender,” Joliet West coach Jeremy Kreiger said. “He’s like our heartbeat, baseline to baseline he just has the motor defensively that [Plainfield East’s Ehi Ogbomo] has offensively.

“For him to step up as the second-leading scorer in this game, it’s a testament to his work ethic and it shows he’s starting to believe in himself.”

Valparaiso recruit Justus McNair shook off a rough night in Tuesday’s loss to Romeoville, coming up with 19 points and 11 rebounds to lead Joliet West (6-3, 3-1 SPC). His brother, Micah McNair, added nine points and six rebounds off the bench, while Aamir Shannon chipped in seven points.

Ogbomo poured in 29 points to lead Plainfield East (3-5, 2-2). Alijah Little finished with nine points and six rebounds, DeSean Miller added nine points and Kevin Tchoffa contributed eight points and seven rebounds.

The Bengals led by as many as eight points in the second quarter and were up 50-47 early in the fourth but could not hold on.

Although Ogbomo did his best to keep his team going, scoring nine points in the final quarter, the Tigers outscored Plainfield East 15-2 over a six-minute span to take control.

“We have to give major credit to Ehi,” Kreiger said. “His shot-making ability, his motor. We’ve coached against him for three years now and he’s a special player. Even though he was able to hit some tough shots down the stretch, we were able to keep them from getting into their offense and they threw the ball away.

“We had to rely on our defense and that was a really good win for us to get with a young team.”

Grevengoed, meanwhile, got Joliet West going offensively, scoring six points in the third quarter and five in the fourth, including a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws during the decisive late-game surge.

“It’s amazing,” Justus McNair said. “Seeing him in the corner and when I see anyone pass the ball to him, I know it’s going in. I start holding up my finger for the three.

“It’s having confidence in my teammates. I know they’re young. But I want to be the leader they need and when I show confidence in them, they get more confidence, too.”

Grevengoed is the younger brother of Joliet West volleyball star Ava. He is happy to be adding to the family legacy with the Tigers.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “It makes me want to work harder like her.”

Down 28-20 with just over two minutes left in the first half, Joliet West closed out the half with an 8-2 surge to get within 30-29 at halftime.

It was a nip-and-tuck game from there, with Ogbomo doing his best to will his team to victory.

Micah McNair, the star linebacker for the Tigers’ football team, provided a big spark off the bench by scoring four key points late in the first half and coming down with vital rebounds.

“I’m just focused on playing defense, grabbing rebounds and doing all the little things that don’t involve scoring,” Micah McNair said.