Boys Basketball: Marian Catholic ousts Joliet West
By Michael O’Brien mobrien@suntimes.com March 6, 2013 9:38PM
Morris Dunnigan (23), of Joliet West, guarded by Ki Jana Crawford, of Marian Catholic. | Vincent D. Johnson~For Sun-Times Media
Boys Basketball
WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS
CLASS 2A JOLIET CENTRAL
SUPERSECTIONAL
Seton 46, Providence-St. Mel 45
CLASS 3A RICH SOUTH SECTIONAL
Rich East 75, Coal City 47
CLASS 3A ST. LAURENCE
SECTIONAL
Morgan Park 112, Fenger 49
CLASS 4A THORNTON SECTIONAL
Marian Catholic 65, Joliet West 54
THURSDAY’S GAMES
CLASS 3A RICH SOUTH SECTIONAL
Providence vs. Hillcrest, 7:30 p.m.
CLASS 4A THORNTON SECTIONAL
Bloom vs. Stagg, 7:30 p.m.
Article Extras
Updated: April 8, 2013 7:41AM
Marian Catholic senior Tyler Ulis wasn’t spectacular Wednesday night in Harvey, and thanks to teammates Ki Jana Crawford and John Oliver he didn’t have to be.
The Spartans totally controlled Joliet West star Morris Dunnigan and coasted to a 65-54 win in a Class 4A Thornton Sectional semifinal.
“We were just trying to keep Morris Dunnigan from getting into the game,” Ulis said. “That was the goal, to make some of the role players beat us. We just played deny, trying to keep him from getting the ball and then when we got it we made sure we doubled him.
Dunnigan scored 12 points in the game. He had seven rebounds and four assists, but took only one shot in the second half, a long three-point try late in the game. He finished 3-of-10 from the field.
“I think Crawford and Oliver set the tone on a night where we weren’t great offensively,” Marian Catholic coach Mike Taylor said. “They had the responsibility of Dunnigan and they did the job.”
Ulis scored 16 points and dished out three assists, but wasn’t his usual dynamic self on offense. He even missed two consecutive free throws in the fourth quarter.
“That might be the first time all year ... it might be the first time in three years I’ve seen him miss both,” Taylor said.
The Tigers (19-8) pulled to within seven on a basket by LeJon Wise late in the second quarter, but Joshua Cohn drained a three at the halftime buzzer to push the Marian Catholic lead back to 10.
“That was a big one Josh hit,” Taylor said. “It really sent us into the locker room on a high, and I think that carried over into the second half.”
Cohn finished with 14 points. Crawford and Parham each added 13 and Oliver scored eight. The Spartans had only one point off the bench, that coming from Ezra Pointer-Jones.
Brandon McCullum led Joliet West with 15 points and nine rebounds. Carl Terrell added 10 points and Wise scored eight and grabbed 11 rebounds.
“I think we wore Dunnigan down, he was tired in that fourth quarter,” Taylor said. “We played about three different defenses on them in the second half.”
Marian Catholic (28-3) will face the winner of Thursday’s Bloom-Stagg semifinal in Friday’s sectional title game.
