The word is out and now the crowds will follow. Davion Thompson’s breakout performances at York over the holidays have turned the Bolingbrook freshman into a must-see attraction for area basketball fans.
“It’s been exciting,” Thompson said. “A lot of good things. Some bad things. You have to stay humble and keep working. It’s most definitely a bigger target. Everyone is coming at me now because my name is on the map.”
The big crowd that turned out Wednesday at Bolingbrook not only witnessed why Thompson has everyone so excited—it also saw that he has an excellent team around him.
Junior JT Pettigrew led the No. 10 Raiders to a 68-58 win against No. 19 Romeoville. The 6-6 forward scored 21 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and was an effective rim protector on the defensive end.
Romeoville (13-3) jumped out to a 12-point lead in the first half, but Bolingbrook (13-2) calmly came back and then took over in the fourth quarter.
“This isn’t the first time that’s happened to us,” Pettigrew said. “We’re really good at just staying together and staying composed and coming together and coming back.”
Pettigrew has been a consistent force throughout the season for the Raiders. He’s a college prospect and one of the better players in the area.
Bolingbrook’s foundation of talented older players is an underrated factor in Thompson’s emergence. Without Pettigrew, point guard Josh Aniceto, guard DJ Strong and rebounder Jason Lawani, Thompson wouldn’t have so many opportunities to impress as a freshman.
“Everyone on the team knows their role,” Raiders coach Rob Brost said. “Obviously Davion and JT get a lot of the ink. And rightfully so. But this is a team effort from top to bottom and when we need guys to step up they do. KJ [Cathey] as well.”
Thompson scored 16 points and grabbed four rebounds. He didn’t force any shots and stayed within the flow of the game. All the attention over the past week hasn’t changed his game.
“[Thompson] is a really good player and we are always going to have his back and support him no matter what,” said Lawani, who finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Junior guard Kendall Culter led Romeoville with 18 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Junior EJ Mosley added 14 points and sophomore Mickeis Johnson scored two points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Spartans junior Adam Walker is 6-11 and an eye-opening athlete. He had 12 points and nine rebounds.
“[Walker] is getting better,” Romeoville coach Marc Howard said. “He has to continue to keep building one step at a time. But he can basket protect, score. And he listens. His upside is through the roof.”
This is one of Howard’s most talented teams. It’s a young group that’s incorporating two key transfers, Mosley and junior DJ Porter. They have two more big tests this week, with games against West Aurora and top-ranked Curie.
“It’s been a good season so far,” Howard said. “We had a really good first half but Bolingbrook did a good job coming out in the third quarter and playing inspired. We just didn’t match their energy. That was the difference in the game.”
