Payton the man for Purple Raiders
Junior electrifies crowd at UIC with 360- degree dunk
Bloomington junior Chris Payton broke loose with the ball early in the fourth quarter Friday in the Chicago Elite Classic at UIC. He took a few dribbles as he passed halfcourt, then launched into a stunning 360- degree dunk.
‘‘ It wasn’t anything special,’’ Payton said. ‘‘ I know I’m capable of doing it. It was a spur- of- the- moment decision.’’
Payton has been one of the top players in the state in the Class of 2018 since his freshman year. The Illinois State recruit is the reason the Purple Raiders nabbed an invitation to the prestigious event.
‘‘ This is the first time we’ve actually played in the city,’’ Bloomington coach MichaelMosley said. ‘‘ We got this invite, and we wanted to make the most of it.’’
Bloomington did just that, edging No. 13 St. Rita 59- 56.
Payton scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Senior Chris Pugh added 17 points, six rebounds and four steals for the Purple Raiders ( 5- 0).
St. Rita committed 21 turnovers and shot 1- for- 11 from three- point range. Things just didn’t fall the Mustangs’ way.
‘‘ We have to be stronger with the ball and make better decisions,’’ St. Rita coach Gary DeCesare said. ‘‘ Every game we have played so far, we get in a four- or five- minute spell where we can’t score.’’
Senior Jordan Matthews had 16 points and six assists and senior Landen Gladney 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Mustangs ( 4- 2). Gladney was also the primary defender against Payton.
‘‘ Landen played terrific tonight,’’ DeCesare said. ‘‘ He did a great job on Payton. [ Payton] is going to get his points, but Landen did a great job of scratching on him, making him throw the ball away.’’
St. Rita sophomore Joel Watts still is working his way back from an injury and has been limited to 10 minutes a game so far this season.
Watts flashed impressive potential as a point guard last season. He clearly wasn’t himself against Bloomington, turning the ball over six times and scoring only three points. Without him on the court for most of the game, Matthews was called on to do an awful lot.
‘‘ That was kind of expected [ tonight],’’ Matthews said. ‘‘ With the team we have, I shouldn’t have to do everything. I have a lot of faith in these guys. We’ll be fine the rest of the season.’’
The Mustangs started the season strong, winning four games in Rockford before falling to Rockford Jefferson, one of the better teams in the state.
‘‘ We have two sophomore guards and only three seniors on the team,’’ DeCesare said. ‘‘ We are very good, young, deep and talented. But we have guys that need more experience on the court.’’