It looked like Joliet West might be letting Tuesday night’s Southwest Prairie Conference matchup against Minooka get away from them in the third quarter.

But Joliet West senior guard Aamir Shannon wasn’t about to let the win elude the Tigers.

Shannon, who scored just one first-half point, erupted for 12 third-quarter points, helping the Tigers turn what was briefly a one-point lead into a 13-point advantage in a 53-35 win.

“I just took advantage of what they gave me,” Shannon said. “I saw the lanes opening up a lot. I just ran the floor and trusted my teammates to get me the ball.

“I was just looking to make winning plays.”

And he made several of those.

After Minooka inched closer than it had all game on a Graham Lee basket early in the third quarter to make the score 24-23, Shannon seized the moment. He scored seven of the game’s next nine points to give Joliet West a little breathing room.

But he wasn’t done.

Shannon, along with Deven Triplett, combined to go on another 8-2 scoring run with Shannon’s 3-pointer capping the third quarter of play, where Joliet West outscored Minooka 17-9 and reestablished control of the game.

“It was just understanding from our seniors why the first quarter was vital because we came out and set a tone,” Joliet West coach Jeremy Kreiger said. “We were punishing the paint, and we were getting paint touches. When we came out in the third quarter, the game got close, but why are we hoisting 3s? Why are we getting shot clock violations?

“Move the ball freely and get back to the paint and you’ll change the complexion of the game. We wear them down, draw a couple of fouls, and next thing you know you look up at the scoreboard and see the results.”

A big part of that result was Tigers’ 6-foot-6 senior Ryan Lipke, who turned in another strong performance.

Lipke scored the first seven points of the game for Joliet West (8-7, 4-1) and finished the contest with 15, making another big and needed step for the Tigers.

“He really started the game and asserted himself,” Kreiger said. “And if he starts believing in himself, look out.”

It was a rough night for Minooka (8-7, 4-2) offensively, scoring in double digits in just one quarter: the second, where the Indians outscored Joliet West 10-9.

Luke Page and Brady Hairald each had 11 for the Indians, but only one other Minooka player scored more than four points, Nehemiah Brown with five.