There’s been noted improvement from the Joliet Central boys basketball team as the season has gone on, even if it hasn’t shown up in the win column.

The Steelmen have been playing teams more competitively since around Christmas time. They’ve just needed to convert improved play into victories.

Friday night, they were able to do just that.

On the road against a Plainfield Central team with twice as many victories as them entering the game, the Steelman were dominant from the onset.

They led by as many as 20 points in the first half with an all-around team effort on offense and a smothering effort on defense. The result was a 58-49 win after fending off a ferocious comeback attempt by the Wildcats in the third period.

It was the first win in 17 days for Joliet Central (4-20). No one would’ve known that based on the confidence they played with on both sides of the ball Friday night. They scored the first nine points of the evening in quick order while forcing 12 turnovers in the first half alone.

Eight players wound up scoring for the Steelmen with three reaching double figures. The leaders were Michael Stokes with 12 points, Revell Gilbert with 11 and Bernal Fox with 10.

“We just kept momentum,” Stokes said. “We didn’t let any turnovers or defensive stops get to us. We just kept getting stops of our own and kept the momentum alive.”

Plainfield Central (6-17) hung in in after a very difficult start to the evening. The Wildcats didn’t score until midway through the first quarter on a pair of free throws and needed another 60 seconds to make their first shot from the field.

The Wildcats closed the opening half on a 5-0 run, though, and the defense mostly held the Steelmen in check in the third. Heck, the Wildcats got back within 36-33 with 2:04 left in the period. Joliet Central got back in control from there and led by as many as 15 in the final period.

Interestingly enough, Joliet Central Larry Thompson credited the three losses the Steelmen suffered this week heading into Friday for helping them earn the win Friday night. They trailed Harlem big on Monday night before pulling within four points in the fourth. The Steelmen were unable to pull that win off down the stretch.

The next two nights against Yorkville and Plainfield East, Thompson said the Steelmen played well in the first half before the opponent’s “talent overtook us.” Friday, though, it was a strong first half and a strong fourth quarter that earned Joliet Central the win.

“Today we didn’t turn the ball over,” Thompson said. “That’s been our biggest problem this season. We still turned it over (some) but we gave ourselves a chance tonight by not turning it over (as much). Not losing that lead in the third quarter was probably the biggest thing in our mind.”

Thompson added that seeing this kind of improvement from his young squad is critical as the Steelmen prepare for the future.

“It shows that all the stuff I’m saying doesn’t sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher (to the players),” Thompson said. “They actually see that if we don’t turn the ball over, go to the basket and get shots at the rim we might have a chance to win.”

Plainfield Central was led by Colby Logan (18 points) and Zion Finch (10 points).