Davion Thompson sells tickets. The 6-4 guard from Bolingbrook is the type of player who fills seats. He’s a dynamic scorer and is especially deadly at crunch time.
That’s a lot of pressure for a sophomore. The crowd expects Thompson to put on a show every time he steps on the court.
Thompson wasn’t himself in the first half of the No. 5 Raiders’ 61-47 win against Metamora in the semifinals of York’s Jack Tosh Holiday Classic on Monday in Elmhurst.
He scored four points in the first two quarters and Bolingbrook trailed by ten at halftime. There was a reason. Thompson was so sick Raiders coach Rob Brost told him he didn’t have to worry about playing the second half.
But Thompson fought through. He scored 14 points in the last two quarters to finish with 18 and gave the huge crowd the performance they expected.
“He’s a great player, and he’s always going to show up,” junior Trey Brost said. “I don’t worry about it that much.”
JT Pettigrew, Bolingbrook’s 6-7 senior, limited Metamora’s 6-10 Jonah Funk to 10 points and eight rebounds. Pettigrew finished with eight points, 11 rebounds and two blocks.
While Pettigrew had his hands full and Thompson was sick, the other Raiders stepped up.
Jeremy McCullum, who recently joined the rotation, added 10 points off the bench. Point guard Trey Brost had nine points and no turnovers.
“[McCullum] doing that is a big lift for us,” Rob Brost said. “He’s waited his turn and it is hard to do that.”
Freshman Brady Pettigrew, JT’s younger brother, provided some of the biggest moments. He scored 10 points and guarded Metamora star senior Matthew Zobrist.
“[Zobrist] was tough, but I did my job,” Brady Pettigrew said. “When I came into high school, everyone knew me as a scorer. The team challenged me to guard the best player every night, and that has really improved my game.”
Pettigrew has been poised and effective in his first month as a high school player. It’s tantalizing to imagine watching him and Thompson play together for two more seasons.
“I’m very proud of him,” Rob Brost said. “Nothing against some of the other great freshmen, but their teams aren’t quite as good as ours. So they put up enormous numbers. He buys into our team concept. That’s what I’m most proud of him for. That’s hard to do when you are 14 years old and one of the two or three best freshmen in the state.”
Bolingbrook (13-2) tied the game in the third quarter and dominated the fourth, holding Metamora scoreless for a nearly four-minute stretch.
Zobrist, a Bradley recruit, scored 25 points. He’s one of the best seniors in the state and the Redbirds (12-3), are considered one of the best teams and a major contender for the Class 3A state title.
“I challenged them at halftime, really for the first time this season,” Rob Brost said. “They really responded.”
Bolingbrook will face the Fenwick in the championship game on Tuesday at 3 p.m. The Friars beat Lake Zurich 50-37 in the second semifinal. Nate Marshall led Fenwick with 22 points.