Thornton senior Isaiah Green was the most observant player on the court in the crucial moment of the game on Thursday in Harvey.
Green leaped and stole Kankakee’s inbounds pass with five seconds left. Then he calmly took one dribble and found Meyoh Swansey under the basket for the game-winning bucket in top-ranked Thornton’s 50-49 victory against Kankakee.
“I had to get the ball,” Green said. “I didn’t play very well so I wanted to make a defensive play and get the win.”
But a few seconds later, those same observant eyes of Green’s couldn’t bear to watch as Larenz Walters’ layup rolled around the rim.
Walters blasted down the court on the final possession, unimpeded by any Thornton defenders. He got to the basket and his potential game-winning layup eventually rolled off the rim shortly after the final buzzer. The whole gym watched. Other than Green.
“I stopped looking,” Green said. “I thought it was going to go in so I turned around.”
Walters scored a game-high 25 points as previously undefeated Kankakee (9-1, 1-1 Southland) gave Thornton all it could handle.
“We had a good half against Normal but other times we look like crap,” Wildcats coach Tai Streets said. “It’s just the maturity level and getting them used to each other. They play hard. Just ugly at times. Kankakee did a good job and muddied it up. It was a tough game.”
Illinois recruit Morez Johnson had 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Kankakee senior Kennarius Chandler, a football player, is six inches shorter than Johnson but used his strength and guile to effectively guard him.
“[Chandler] just kept pushing my legs,” Johnson said. “I was just trying to make sure I protected my body. The biggest challenge is keeping my head. This football player is guarding me and they are playing dirty. I have to make sure I don’t have mental lapses. I have to keep playing the right way and let the refs do their job.”
Johnson, Green (nine points), Swansey (16 points, eight rebounds) and senior Chase Abraham (four points, eight rebounds). All transferred to Thornton this year. The team is winning big games but things aren’t flowing well overall.
Wow. Isaiah Green steals the inbounds pass and gets it to Meyoh Swansey for the bucket.
— Michael O'Brien (@michaelsobrien) December 22, 2023
Thornton beats Kankakee 50-49. pic.twitter.com/3iQ0SEdiT2
“We are just having mental lapses now,” Johnson said. “But we are going to pick it up. And we got it done at the end of the game. That’s what is important.”
Thornton led 45-42 with 3:17 to play. The Wildcats (8-1, 2-1) didn’t score another field goal until Green’s basket in the final seconds.
“We just have to find the team chemistry,” Green said. “We are having fun and we aren’t selfish so we will figure it out.”
Sophomore Lincoln Williams scored seven and grabbed nine rebounds for the Kays, who played without 6-5 senior Elijah Stipp, one of their top scorers and overall leaders. He was out with an illness.
“This is a tough place to play,” Kankakee coach Chris Pickett said. “We scratched and clawed. It was a good game. We gave them a good punch and they gave us one. It came down to that turnover and then the ball rolling off the rim.”
