While missing three weeks in the middle of the season with a foot injury, senior guard Chase Abraham watched from the bench as his Thornton teammates continued to pile up wins.
Abraham saw the Wildcats were good without him but also felt like they could be even better when he came back.
“I felt like I could just add a little more,” Abraham said. “We’ve got a lot of talent on the team.
“Everybody came together when I was down. They were already boosted, so when I came back, I just wanted to pick up where I left off, play my role and do what I need to do.”
Abraham, who shook off some rust when he returned, is back to playing like himself. He scored 12 points Tuesday night to help the host Wildcats roll to a 77-47 win over Evergreen Park in a Class 3A Thornton Sectional semifinal in Harvey.
Illinois recruit Morez Johnson had 21 points and 17 rebounds to lead top-seeded Thornton (28-4), which will take on Brother Rice (30-3) or Marian Catholic (22-10) at 7 p.m. Friday in the sectional championship game.
Isaiah Green added 14 points for the Wildcats, while Meyoh Swansey scored 13 points and Layshawn Scott contributed six points and seven rebounds.
Tre Dowdell finished with 13 points and five rebounds for Evergreen Park (22-11), which had its historic postseason run end after winning the program’s first regional title in 50 years. Billy Buchanan added 10 points, Keshaun Vaval had nine and Nolan Sexton tallied eight.
Abraham, who transferred from T.F. North before the school year began, came out fast Tuesday night and scored seven points in the first quarter.
The Wildcats flew out of the gates, scoring 16 points in the first four minutes, none from Johnson.
“It was great,” Johnson said. “Everybody was ready to play. The other team thought it was going to be me getting the ball right off the bat, but it wasn’t.
“We have a lot of weapons on the team, and we just have to be ready to maximize all those weapons. Teams won’t know what’s going to hit them first.”
That’s especially true when Abraham is on. He said he’s feeling comfortable now, although he had some doubts when he first came back from the injury.
“Not being able to play basketball for that amount of time, you second-guess yourself,” Abraham said. “You’re thinking, ‘If I do this, will I get this?’
“I just wanted to come out and play with confidence like I’ve been doing all season.”
Johnson is sure glad to have Abraham back in the lineup.
“We need Chase out there,” Johnson said. “We were winning games without him, but it was a lot tougher.”
Abraham established himself as a strong 3-point shooter with an ability to score in a hurry last season at T.F. North , but he wanted to be more than just that at Thornton.
“Obviously I scored a lot last year, but it’s not all about scoring for me,” he said. “I’m trying to get everybody involved. I’m trying to make the right reads, make the right passes and be more of a complete guard.
“Everybody knows I can score the ball. But everybody doesn’t know I can pass, I can play defense, I can make smart plays, take charges. Just the little stuff.”
Thornton coach Tai Streets has seen Abraham grow and become a more well-rounded player.
“Him and Isaiah have been sharing the point guard duties and it’s been good,” Streets said. “Chase is really becoming a complete player on both ends of the court.”
Now, Thornton is a part of the Class 3A Sweet 16 and Abraham is loving being a Wildcat.
“It’s been good,” Abraham said. “We’ve been having good crowds almost every game. We’ve been playing in big games, big tournaments. This is what you live for if you’re a basketball player.”
