With the four transfers in Thornton’s starting lineup getting most of the attention this season, it was easy to overlook Layshawn Scott, the lone longtime Wildcat among a talented bunch.
But the senior forward, who played all four years at Thornton, emerged as a major threat late in the regular season and especially during the playoffs.
“Nobody really knows me,” Scott said. “I know what I can do and I know what I’m capable of doing. I came out, nobody knew who I was, and that gave me the extra boost like, ‘Oh, I’m going to make them know who I am.’
“I hit open shots. I rebound. I’m a winning player.”
Scott did his best to keep the Wildcats winning Monday night, scoring eight points and grabbing five rebounds. But Thornton came up short in a 58-52 loss to Peoria Richwoods in the Class 3A Ottawa Supersectional.
Meyoh Swansey led Thornton (29-5) with 13 points. Illinois recruit Morez Johnson scored 12 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, and pulled down 11 rebounds. Chase Abraham added 11 points, while Isaiah Green chipped in with six points and six assists.
Rutgers recruit Lathan Sommerville was dominant for Peoria Richwoods (29-4), finishing with 32 points and 13 rebounds.
In the battle of future Big Ten big men, Sommerville bested Johnson for almost the entire night.
“Lathan looked like he had something to prove,” Thornton coach Tai Streets said. “He was aggressive. You have to give him credit. He played well.”
Sommerville drew two fouls in the first quarter on Johnson, sending him to the bench for the entire second quarter.
“That was our game plan,” Peoria Richwoods coach William Smith said. “We wanted to go inside to Lathan. We know Morez likes to play flat, he doesn’t like to guard ball screens and he likes to assert himself in the fourth quarter, so we wanted to get him out of the way early.”
Thornton hung tough without its star and made it to halftime tied 24-24.
For a team that has heard itself called a one-man show, that felt like a moment of validation.
“A lot of people said that but we showed it isn’t just him,” Scott said of Johnson. “With him sitting out that whole quarter, we showed we can battle with anybody.”
After Sommerville scored 11 points in the third quarter to give the Knights a 40-31 lead entering the fourth, Johnson tried to lead the Wildcats back with 10 points in the final quarter.
A 3-pointer from Swansey pulled Thornton within 54-52 with 55 seconds left. The Wildcats then twice forced turnovers but both times had players slip on the way to the basket and get called for traveling.
Richwoods sealed the win with four free throws.
“We got the steals and couldn’t get shots at the rim,” Streets said. “We just couldn’t make the next play. But we kept fighting. That’s been this team all year. We battle back. It’s a resilient team.
“We just didn’t have enough (Monday). They made more plays.”
Scott, though, made quite an impression on his coach.
“That’s the proudest of any kid I’ve probably been,” Streets said of Scott. “Coming into the year, he wasn’t even slated to play that much. You look at him and you don’t think he can play.
“He gets out there and battles his tail off. It’s a testament to how gritty and tough he is. I love that kid. I’ll take that kid to war any day. Awesome kid.”
Thornton won its first sectional championship since 2009. No one has more reason to be proud than Scott, the one starter who has always been a Wildcat.
“Seeing all the fans come out and root us on, come to all our games, even traveling a long distance,” Scott said. “They’ve been supporting us on this journey.
“It’s been a great experience.”
