Girls basketball: Joliet West’s Lisa Thompson repeats as The Herald-News Player of the Year

JOLIET – It doesn’t take long to watch a Joliet West girls basketball game and realize that there is something special about Lisa Thompson.

The 5-foot-9 junior is silky smooth and lightning quick with the basketball in her hands, and she can get by any defender seemingly at will.

Thompson earned a second-team selection to The Associated Press Class 4A All-State team this season, and it’s easy to see why. She led the area in scoring at more than 23 points a game and was a do-it-all type of performer for the Tigers, leading the team with three assists and three steals a game as well as adding four rebounds a contest. For that, she is named the Herald-News Girls Basketball Player of the Year for the second straight season.

“She is just unreal,” Joliet West coach John Placher said. “To do what she did considering the kind of season we had was just remarkable. She had a target on her back every game, and so did the team.”

The Tigers weren’t able to take part in a Christmas Tournament as part of an 18-day COVID-19 layoff early in the season. After the layoff, they played 18 games in 32 days. Thompson led them through it all.

“Me and some of my teammates got together and worked out a bit when we were in quarantine,” Thompson said. “And I got COVID, so I was quarantined for a while. That was tough.

“Once we were able to come back, [assistant] coach [Katie Vanderhyden] made sure we did a lot of running drills to make sure we were back in shape and ready to play basketball. Once we started playing games again, we just picked up where we left off.”

Thompson, who is drawing multiple Division I college offers, was the focal point of the opponents’ defense all season but still was able to put up monster numbers. She led the Tigers to an undefeated mark in the Southwest Prairie Conference East Division, and they finished with a 25-4 record, winning the championship of the Class 4A East Moline Regional before ending their season with a loss to Normal Community in the Joliet Central Sectional. One of those losses was a 49-44 defeat at the hands of Class 4A third-place finisher Bolingbrook.

“Our coaches did a good job of preparing us for me to be double-teamed,” Thompson said. “I just went ahead and played my game and tried to not let any outside things bother me. The coaches had us locked in on the game plan at practice.

“I am used to being double-teamed. Pretty much ever since I have been playing, I have been the girl that everyone wants to stop.”

There were many memorable games and moments for Thompson and the Tigers throughout the season. One of the most memorable was Thompson’s 36-point performance in a 75-68 win over Detroit Edison, which recently won the state championship in its class in Michigan.

“The Edison game really stands out to me,” Thompson said. “That was one of my favorite games. The atmosphere in the locker room was great. When we found out we were going to play them, and we were going to be at home, we talked about it for weeks before the game. We knew if they were coming into our house, we had to come to play.

“They were ranked No. 1 in their class in Michigan, and they were in our house. A lot of my teammates stepped up and played really well that day. We wanted them to remember the West gym.”

Thompson also pointed to the Tigers’ two annual games against District 204 rival Joliet Central.

“The Central games are always big games,” she said. “They are our rivals, and we all know each other from playing since we were kids. It’s always a big game when we play Central.”

The rest of the Southwest Prairie Conference hasn’t had much of a rivalry with the Tigers, as they have won 42 consecutive conference games during Thompson’s three years. She hopes that streak continues throughout her senior year.

She also is looking forward to taking on more of a leadership role next year in her final season as a Tiger.

“I think I will be both a leader by example and vocally,” she said. “Vocally, more like talking in the locker room or in team huddles. On the floor, I let my game speak for itself, but in practices I will be encouraging my teammates and trying to make them better players.

“I also want to give them tips for the college recruiting process.”

Speaking of college recruiting, Thompson said she has her choices narrowed down to a few schools, but she isn’t ready to say which ones. She said she hopes to make her announcement by summer so that will be one less thing on her plate during her senior year.

“It’s hard to rush things,” she said about choosing a school. “I want to build relationships with the coaches, I want to visit the campuses and see what is a good fit for me. It’s a big decision, and I want to take enough time to make the right one. And a lot of coaches move around after the season. No one wants to go play for a certain coach and then have that coach leave.”

As far as her senior year, Thompson has high hopes for herself and her teammates.

“I can’t wait to be a leader on the team,” she said. “I want to lead them even further. I believe we can make it to state and win a state championship. We made the sectional this year, but I got hurt and wasn’t able to play much in the sectional.

“We have a good group coming back and a good group coming up from the sophomore team. I am excited for next year.”

One thing is for sure. Her opponents aren’t.