Boys basketball: Alijah Little, Ehi Ogbomo lead Plainfield East to rout of Lincoln-Way West

NEW LENOX – Sophomore guard Alijah Little is happy to come off the bench for Plainfield East.

Little knows he can bring some extra energy and spark his team when he gets into the game.

“Coming off the bench is great,” Little said. “I love all my starting teammates. They start the game well, and they just give me energy to come in and do what I do. I feel like it’s a good role for me.

“Starting is cool, but coming off the bench, I can work with everybody, and I feel like when I come in, we all play together, and I’m proud of that.”

Little provided a huge lift as a reserve Friday night, scoring a game-high 16 points to help the Bengals roll to a 74-48 win over host Lincoln-Way West.

Ehi Ogbomo scored 15 points, Kevin Tchoffa had 14 points and 10 rebounds, DeSean Miller contributed 12 points, and Kobe Jordan chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds for Plainfield East (5-7).

Eli Bach led Lincoln-Way West (7-5) with 15 points. Jacob Bereza and DeAndre Coates added six points each as the Warriors had a four-game winning streak snapped.

The Bengals, on the other hand, are trying to get their own streak going, as they’ve won two in a row heading into the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic. Plainfield East takes on undefeated Brother Rice in Wednesday’s first round.

“We’re really clicking in practice, and we’re all coming together,” Ogbomo said. “We’ve been working on being less selfish and playing for each other. I think this game really showed that, and we’re just going to try to string that together going into Brother Rice.”

Leading 18-13 after one quarter, Plainfield East scored 22 points in the second to open a 40-24 halftime advantage. Little had seven of those second quarter points.

“He comes in and knocks down shots,” Ogbomo said of Little. “He spaces the floor. That helps our big guys get the ball, helps everyone get open shots. He just helps everybody when he’s able to knock down shots.”

Little is impressing Plainfield East coach Kanwer Sarkaria with more than just his scoring.

“Alijah’s a sophomore who can do a lot of different things,” Sarkaria siad. “The scary thing is he doesn’t really know his potential quite yet. Last year, as a freshman, he was kind of a one-way player who only cared about scoring. Now he’s discovering, ‘Hey, I’m 6-3 and with my length, I can grab some boards, and I can defend a little bit. My scoring will come as a result of the energy I bring on defense.’

“He’s really embracing that and kudos to him. I’m seeing a real mindset shift with him and once he starts putting all the pieces together, I’m excited about his future.”

Ogbomo was proud of the way his team responded after Lincoln-Way West jumped to an early 9-2 lead.

“I feel like keeping a level head when teams get off to early leads and staying consistent is a big thing for us,” Ogbomo said. “[Friday], they got off to an early lead, but we stayed calm and played together. If we keep doing that, everything will be good.”

The Bengals remained in total control throughout the second half, pushing their lead to 55-36 on a buzzer-beater from Ogbomo to end the third quarter.

Ogbomo is continuing to lead the Bengals with steady scoring as he approaches 1,000 career points.

“He’s seen it all, and he’s someone who has stuck with this program,” Sarkaria siad. “He’s loyal, he’s a heck of a student, and his skill set speaks for itself, so it’s a little confusing why he doesn’t get the recognition he needs.

“He’s an unbelievable leader.”

Little certainly agrees.

“It’s my first year playing with Ehi, and I’d say he’s easily a top-five guard in the state in the Class of 2024,” Little said. “I feel like he’s not really known, but to me he’s one of the best.”