“It was truly a team effort” is often phraseology that is overused.

But there’s really not any other way to describe Joliet West‘s 58-45 victory over Lemont at the Lincoln-Way Warrior Shootout on Saturday.

The Tigers (15-8) didn’t have a single player reach double-digit scoring until midway through the fourth quarter but controlled the game throughout as it got a variety of contributions up and down its roster.

“That’s exactly how we have to play,” senior guard Brockton Goehrke said. “Sharing the ball gets everybody open looks and that really transforms our game.

“Other teams have to guard us honest that way, 1 through 5.”

That proved to be a problem for Lemont (14-9).

Aamir Shannon led the way early for the Tigers, scoring seven of his team-high 13 points in the first quarter. Shannon gave way to other teammates along the way, which allowed Joliet West to build an early 16-5 lead.

Lemont did push back by rattling off the next seven points to get to within four early in the second quarter, but Joliet West always seemed to do just enough to not allow Lemont any closer.

Both teams sputtered a bit offensively in the second quarter, and for Joliet West some of that had to do with the lack of a shot clock. The Tigers have played almost exclusively with one this season, so playing without one came with the need to reframe their attack a bit.

“We understood that playing Lemont today it was going to be our first game with no shot clock,” Joliet West coach Jeremy Kreiger said. “So we overemphasized sharing the ball and moving the ball.

“And then I gave them the old adage, with what they talk about: share the sugar. Like, everybody loves candy, let’s get everybody a piece.”

That approach worked with Goehrke, Luke Grevengoed and Ryan Lipke all taking bites from the proverbial apple as Joliet West inched away from Lemont after allowing it to close down the gap in the late third quarter.

Lemont got to within four points at 36-32, but Joliet West scored the final four points of the third quarter, then used that balance again. Six different people logged at least one point for the Tigers.

The win, which was Joliet West’s sixth consecutive victory and eighth win in its last nine games, was a further testament to how Joliet West’s offensive versatility is starting to give opponents problems.

“It’s because of that versatility that we offer,” Kreiger said. “We started the season with Brockton as our starting point guard, but he was coming off a broken metatarsal and he didn’t have his burst of speed. So we flipped him to like a small ball four. So you have a guy with a point guard mentality playing power forward.

“There’s just so many guys that can intitate offense.”

Goerhke (12 points) and Lipke (10) joined Shannon in double figures while Grevengoed and Deven Triplett added six points each.

Lemont’s Julian Overton led all scorers with 14 points. Lemont had some success turning Joliet West over, particularly in the first half, but couldn’t convert enough of those extra opportunites into points to mount a serious challenge.

Lemont got within six early in the fourth quarter, only to see Joliet West rip off an 8-2 run to push the lead back to double digits and Lemont’s attempt to rally was laid to rest.