From sporadic to dramatic, Brian Sampson carves out bigger role for Crete-Monee. ‘Just had to keep working.’

Junior guard Brian Sampson was only getting sporadic playing time coming off the bench early in the season for Crete-Monee.

Sampson was fine with that, though. He knew he had to improve his game to convince the coaching staff he deserved a bigger role.

“I had to work on little stuff at practice and work to earn my playing time, being an underclassman on my first year on varsity,” Sampson said. “I knew I just had to keep working.”

Sampson recently cracked the starting lineup. He showed why Wednesday night, knocking down three 3-pointers and scoring 11 points to go with seven rebounds as the visiting Warriors earned a 55-40 victory over Joliet Central.

Joe Jones finished with 18 points and eight rebounds to lead Crete-Monee (9-6), which snapped a three-game losing streak. Zyheir Gardner added 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Quentin Caldwell chipped in with five points and 10 rebounds.

Sampson hit a pair of early 3-pointers to help the Warriors race to a 14-4 lead against Joliet Central (2-14), which received a team-high 13 points from Bernal Fox.

“He gives us a lot of outside shooting,” Gardner said of Sampson. “He’s able to knock them down. He has long arms so he’s able to get his hands on balls and play good defense.

“But really, the main thing is he’s a really good shooter. The defense has to stay on him and that makes it easier for everybody else.”

Sampson confirmed he was making his “second or third” start Wednesday night. He’s loved getting the chance to be in the lineup consistently.

“It’s exciting being able to get out there and show what I can do on the court,” he said. “It feels good.

“But whether I’m starting or coming off the bench, I go out there and play my hardest whenever I can — whenever I get the opportunity.”

Sampson is starting to get comfortable and that’s showing in games. But it took him a bit to get there. The early part of the season was definitely a challenge.

“It was a confidence thing,” Sampson said. “It was really mental. It was getting used to the speed of the game and the physical advantage other guys have against me, being a smaller guy.”

Sampson is a lanky 6-foot-4 guard. He has the speed and athletic ability to get to the basket but knows he needs to gain some strength to deal with the physical nature of play near the rim.

“I’m working out a lot,” he said. “I try to stay in the gym and the weight room as much as I can and I’m trying to build some muscle.”

Sampson is also on Crete-Monee’s track and field team and competes in the high jump.

“That really helps with my athleticism and with my stamina, too,” he said.

After the fast start Wednesday, the Warriors let Joliet Central fight back into a 14-14 tie after one quarter. It was still close at halftime, with Crete-Monee leading 27-21, but the Warriors were able to quickly push the edge into double digits during the second half.

“We played together,” Gardner said. “We played with toughness and energy. We were able to do the things that we lacked in those losses during our losing streak.”

The Warriors have a newfound weapon in Sampson who feels ready to help the team soar in the second half of the season.

And that outside shooting? It has become second nature to Sampson.

“I’ve always had a knack for it,” he said. “But I’ve definitely had to keep working on it. It’s all about being in the gym, getting in those reps and continuing to improve.

“I’ve just got to keep getting better to help my team win.”