Michael O’Brien’s notebook: Feb. 14, 2017

A fun night in Chicago Heights. Bloom and Thornton went at it in front of a loud crowd. The Blazing Trojans have something special this season. It isn’t always there, but they can rise up and play really well at times. We saw it at Pontiac against Joliet West and Danville.

I don’t think this is some catastrophic loss for Thornton. It’s tough to win at Bloom, things just didn’t fall the Wildcats’ way. Alonzo Verge sat for the final three or so minutes, Tai Streets obviously didn’t like something that had happened. Verge was very assertive in the game. He took some bad shots, but on most nights the majority of the shots he missed are going to fall.

Bloom and Thornton are both in good hands. It’s great to see young grads of each school at the helm. Dante Maddox has done a heck of a job this season.

Read all about Bloom’s win over Thornton.

Cam Krutwig injured his ankle in Jacobs’ win against Cary-Grove. No word yet on how serious it is. The Daily Herald covered the game.

Tuesday’s top games

Harvest Christian 66, Westminster Christian 57: The Lions win their first conference title. Sophomore Andre White Jr. had 20 points, six assists and three steals.

Aurora Central 56, Wheaton Academy 38: Brett Czerak scored 35, ACC is 19-5.

Crete Monee 68, Rich Central 55: Dwayne Rose led the Warriors with 17 points. Malik Hardmon added 13 points and nine rebounds.

T.F. North 85, T.F. South 72: The Metoers earn at least a share of the conference title.

Stevenson 50, Lake Zurich 40: Patriots earn a comeback win. Willie Herenton scored 21, he’s having a really solid year. Justin Smith added 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Oak Park 51, Hinsdale Central 43:Oak Park wins the conference. The Huskies have been out of the spotlight for awhile now, the entire West Suburban conference has been a bit ignored this season. It will be interesting to see how they do in the playoffs.

Joliet West 59, Minooka 38: Solid win for the Tigers. Teyvion Kirk scored 15 and Eddie Creal added 14.

Lemont 72, Tinley Park 43: Big night for PJ Pipes with 31 points.

Joliet Central 55, Oswego 43: The Steelmen trailed 20-9 early but took care of business.

Naperville North 62, Naperville Central 41: The Huskies win the rivalry game with ease.