Men’s Basketball: South Suburban College steamrolls Joliet Junior College

• Reprints

Updated: February 18, 2012 8:10AM

South Suburban College guard Michael Harris still is getting used to the idea of coming off the bench.

But the freshman is thriving in the role of a sixth-man spark plug. Monday, he poured in 24 points to lead the Bulldogs — ranked second in NJCAA Division II — to an 81-62 win over Joliet Junior College in the feature game of the South Suburban MLK Showcase in South Holland.

“I’m still trying to get adjusted, but I’m trying to play my role,” said Harris, who was 9-of-12 from the field. “Coach (John Pigatti) tells me to stay aggressive, and I tried to attack the basket tonight.”

Hillcrest product Kadeem Thornton (6 rebounds) and DeAndre McCamey added 13 points each for South Suburban (19-1).

Corey Proctor paced Joliet (12-6) with 24 points.

South Suburban was boosted by quick starts to both halves. It opened the game on a 14-4 run, nailing four three-pointers.

Joliet trailed by double digits for most of the first half, but still was in the game down 46-35 at the break.

The Bulldogs, though, opened the second half on a 12-1 run, Harris sparking it with seven points, to pull away. They led by as many as 26 points.

South Suburban was undersized, with 6-foot-8 Lloyd Davis suspended, but kept Joliet’s big men — Joliet Central product Brian Byrd (12 points, 12 rebounds) and Lincoln-Way East alum Jon Bartlett (2 points, 7 rebounds) — in check.

“We did a good job on the boards and our quickness bothered them in the post more than I expected,” Pigatti said. “(Thornton) did a great job battling inside.”

Romeoville product Harrison Hines had 17 points for Joliet, which was hurt by 16 turnovers.

“We didn’t get the ball inside well enough, especially early,” Joliet coach Joe Kuhn said. “South Suburban shot the ball extremely well from three. That and their offensive rebounding were the biggest differences.”

Isiah Hale had 10 points and 10 assists for South Suburban.