After Joliet Central’s early 10-point lead Friday was cut to three by host Bradley-Bourbonnais at halftime, the visiting Steelmen had to desperately cling to that narrow lead against from a Boilermaker team seeking a senior night win.

With the Steelmen up two with less than 30 seconds to go, senior Bernal Fox jumped a Boilermaker pass for a clutch steal.

He would later go 1 of 2 from the free-throw line to put the Steelmen up by three, and after Bradley-Bourbonnais’ Kobe Lawrence had a 3-pointer come up just short at the buzzer, Fox and his teammates got to celebrate a 49-46 win to close out the regular season.

“We stayed focused throughout the game, and everyone played together throughout the game,” Fox said. “In practices, we’ve been going hard at each other. So we’re built for these games.”

The win snapped a six-game losing streak for the Steelmen (5-26).

Bradley-Bourbonnais (6-23) got on the scoreboard first Friday, but Joliet Central responded with a 12-0 run to take control early. A 15-7 lead at the end of the first quarter shrunk to 25-22 by halftime.

The Boilermakers battled back in the third and briefly took leads at 30-28 and 33-32, but the Steelmen managed to regain their three-point lead by the end of the third quarter at 39-36.

That lead grew as high as seven points, but once the Boilermakers got back within two, Fox’s late steal made a Bradley-Bourbonnais comeback attempt much more difficult.

“On the steal, I was on their best shooter (Trey Lawrence), and I saw them clear it out for him on one side,” he said. “I knew they were going right to him because there was a few seconds left, and I just got the steal.”

Fox finished with 10 points to tie for the team lead with freshman ReVell Gilbert. Kennedy Edwards added nine, James Lee had eight and Michael Stokes Jr. and Valentin Conejo had six apiece.

Joliet Central head coach Lawrence Thompson Jr. said that Fox, who is also the top returning scorer from last season’s team, has been a vital piece once again.

“He’s our Swiss Army knife,” Thompson said. “Whatever we need on any given night, he’s there for us. If we need a defensive stop, he’s there. We need him to score points, he’s always been there for us.

“...He works really hard every night and he’s the most stable one here.”

The Steelmen wrapped the regular season with three more wins than they did a season ago, and will now head into regional play with a play-in game against Lincoln-Way West on Feb. 23. The winner will advance in the IHSA Class 4A Lockport Regional to play the host Porters.

Lincoln-Way West beat the Steelmen 53-46 at the WJOL Thanksgiving Tournament on Nov. 28, the third game of the season.

The Boilermakers will get the postseason underway on Feb. 25 against Rock Island in the Class 4A Minooka Regional.

Dajuan Brown led the team with 12 points while Trey Lawrence added nine points, Tez Smith added eight and Kobe Lawrence had six.

Most of the team’s five-player senior class has not seen a ton of time on the floor this season, but Jekyri Early, Andrew Kubal, Tate Marcotte, Christian Munsterman and Antonio Potoski all started in their final home game.

Marcotte got the scoring started with a dunk and Munsterman and Potoski each knocked down clutch 3-pointers in the game.

“I was happy they got the chance to start tonight and experience this atmosphere in that way,” head coach Eric Long said. “It’s tough as a coach, because you want to play everybody a lot of minutes and it’s just not possible.

“I’m proud of the character and perseverance that the seniors, who haven’t seen a lot of opportunities, have shown throughout the year.”