Bogan’s Antione Bloxton turned the title game of the Proviso West Holiday Tournament into his personal playground Sunday.
The senior guard scored 33 points and had seven steals in the Bengals’ 71-52 rout of Morton.
Bloxton is well-known throughout the city, but he spent his first two years of high school in obscurity at Julian and was ineligible to play for most of last season. He also didn’t play on a shoe-company summer circuit, so his ability can take some by surprise.
‘‘What the [heck]?’’ Morton coach Tony Martinucci said. ‘‘I knew he could shoot, but he shot it off the dribble pretty good, too. I didn’t realize he could shoot like that. He can play.’’
‘‘I’ve been getting that a lot,’’ Bloxton said. ‘‘I’ve been good, but now I can show my talent. This isn’t new at all. Winning this title means everything, especially since I couldn’t play last season.’’
Darrion Jones added 14 points and Ideary Mooney 11 points and six rebounds for Bogan (14-1), who won the tournament for the second consecutive season.
‘‘I was just being aggressive,’’ Mooney said. ‘‘[Coach Arthur Goodwin] tells me to use my body like a weapon, so that’s what I did.’’
Guard Jesus Perez, the Mustangs’ best player, finished with four points and seven turnovers. Martinucci said he injured his ankle early in the first quarter.
‘‘That’s why we had to keep taking him out,’’ Martinucci said. ‘‘I hated to keep putting him in, but he kept asking. Even hurt, he threw about four nice dimes. Once he was hurt, we weren’t the same explosive-type team.’’
Mannuel Rodriguez led Morton (8-4) with 25 points. He was 7-for-13 from three-point range.
The Mustangs led 20-13 after one quarter, but the Bengals forced turnovers on five consecutive possessions to open the second quarter and controlled the game from then on.
Goodwin has turned Bogan into a major factor in the state, but the Bengals don’t enjoy the national reputation of some of the Public League powerhouses.
‘‘We are just trying to get our brand out there, like Simeon and Morgan Park and Young,’’ Goodwin said. ‘‘When they talk about basketball in Chicago, we want them to talk about Bogan.’’
That yearning for national respect is a reason Bogan might not return to Proviso West next season. The tournament, which used to be the jewel of the holiday season, has diminished significantly in the last several years.
Several years ago, the tournament was swimming in shoe-company sponsorship money. There were lounges in which the players could relax and play video games between games. The media/hospitality room featured a chocolate fountain. The best teams in the area yearned to be invited.
Now there is no player lounge and no media room. The Jesse White Tumblers performed at halftime of the title game, and a magician entertained the crowd during halftime of the third-place game.
‘‘It’s not the same,’’ Goodwin said. ‘‘If they get some more teams, we might be back. But we have the opportunity to go other places, too. We will still be loaded next year.’’
