There’s no way around it: 2024-25 was a rough season for the Joliet West girls basketball team. They went 6-22 and lost in the opening round of the playoffs. They entered 2025-26 with high hopes and more expectations for themselves.

While it was far from perfect, and more growth is expected, they started their season in the right direction Tuesday.

The Tigers held Tinley Park to just one field goal in the first half at Joliet Junior College on Tuesday evening. The offense did what it needed to secure a 39-24 victory over the Titans and start the season 1-0.

The rebounding ability of the Tigers was on display all night as Tinley Park’s shots constantly rattled off the rim and into the hands of Joliet West. The defense held strong the entire first half and did enough in the second to earn the win.

“We’ve got a youthful team, and I wanted us to connect together,” coach Breanna Blackmon said. “We’ve got a little depth. We want to try and get everyone on the floor because this is an extended tournament, but we’ll play, win and progress as a unit.”

The Tigers’ offense was balanced, with eight players scoring, led by Temperance Jackson with nine points. The senior also added eight rebounds in a strong display on the boards.

Blackmon said coming into the season that the team would rely heavily on its quartet of seniors, and they showed why against Tinley Park. In addition to Jackson, Jada Thompson scored eight, Maya Zanzola had four and Natalie Clemente had five points and two blocks.

“I grew up with these girls, so I want to be a leader and voice of this team,” Clemente said. “It’s not about wins and losses but wisdom and lessons. I want to take this team to victory, but even if we lose, I want us to lose together.”

However, several underclassmen also contributed. Keniya Foster, a sophomore, scored seven points.

“My energy feeds off the seniors’ energy,” Blackmon said. “We’re always working off each other and playing together on the court.”

The game was in Joliet West’s control from the start. They scored the first six points of the game, while the Titans didn’t score until midway through the first. The Tigers held a 12-2 edge after one period of play.

No one scored for the first 90 seconds of the second quarter, but the Titans didn’t make a shot from the field all period. The only Tinley Park point was a free throw by Melanie Musser with less than a minute remaining in the half. Joliet West didn’t fare much better, scoring just six points to hold an 18-3 edge at halftime.

Tinley Park ended the scoring and shooting drought 90 seconds into the third when Musser sank a 3, but Thompson answered right back to keep it a 15-point game. Credit the Titans for finding a bit of a groove, making three baskets in three minutes after making just one in the first 16.

Joliet West also deserves credit for finding its groove as well. They answered the Titans blow for blow with Keniya Foster’s back-to-back layups midway through the period proving to be the highlight. The Tigers led 32-15 with one quarter left to play.

Tinley Park got no closer as Joliet West closed out the win.

“We have to stay disciplined against them,” Jackson said. “Our defense, hustle, communication are all little things that tie into a win, so we’ll need to be on that.”