JENESIS DEVICE
Freshman guard delivers on both ends of floor as H-F ousts Lincoln-Way Central
Homewood-Flossmoor freshman Jenesis Moore is always ready for a laugh.
Just ask coach Tony Smith. “She’s a very laid-back, chill type of kid,” Smith said. “At practice, I’m a ‘Hey, let’s go, let’s go’ type. And she looks at me like, ‘Hey, coach. Settle down.’
“After practice, we’re best of friends. She wants to show me baby pictures of her and we laugh. But that serious side ... I’m trying to get her to come a little bit toward my personality.”
Moore faced some pretty serious business Tuesday night and handled it like a pro for H-F in a 47-34 win over Lincoln-Way Central in a Class 4A Romeoville Sectional semifinal game.
Alyssa Latham was a standout for the Vikings (19-6) with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Jemiyah McDonald added 11 points, while Aunyai Deere had eight points.
Jaeda Murphy contributed seven points and 11 rebounds.
Azyah Newson-Cole led Lincoln-Way Central (24-10) with nine points. Gianna Amadio added seven points and six rebounds. Lina Panos chipped in with six points.
Homewood-Flossmoor will play Bolingbrook at 7 p.m. Thursday for the sectional title. Bolingbrook defeated Lincoln-Way West 46-38 in the other semifinal.
Moore, a 5-foot-5 guard, came up big against a pretty tall order.
On defense, she glued herself to Keira Hunt, holding Lincoln-Way Central’s tough guard to just four points and no 3-pointers.
“She was tough, but coach was on me to lock up and play hard,” Moore said. “I just tried to put my team in the best position possible.”
On offense, Moore scored three points, two coming on a nice drive to the basket. Her other point, on a free throw, broke a 30-30 tie in the fourth quarter and put the Vikings in the lead for good.
Moore made her coach proud.
“She held her ground,” Smith said. “There are times when I question, ‘Are you ready to go?’ You can’t really tell because she’s always happy, smiling and likes to joke. “But she was ready for this one.” Moore was one of four freshmen Smith had practice with the varsity during the summer. Beyond the laughs, she had something else he noticed.
“She had some times when I think she was wondering if being up was something she wanted to do,” Smith said. “But she had a motor. She stepped up right away in our first ballgame.”
Her opening night against Crete-Monee was a memorable one. Early on, Latham tweaked her knee and had to come out of the game.
Moore responded with 20 points as the Vikings won 56-21.
“I was just living in a moment and playing hard,” Moore said. “I was trying to step up and provide us with some help.”
Moore hasn’t had a double-figure night since that game, but she has been a starter and regular contributor.
She has also been a student — not only of Smith but of Latham.
“Alyssa pushes me,” Moore said. “That’s the thing everyone doesn’t know. She’s a leader on and off the court. Even with schoolwork, she’s a leader.
“She’s like another coach on the floor, just like coach Smith. She knows how to control things and get to us and tell us what to do, without us getting mad or anything.”
Latham? She’s just as proud as Smith.
“When Jenesis came in, I just saw a kid that came in wanting to win,” Latham said. “We have a huge goal to get downstate — one game at a time, of course.
“She’s has struggled a little bit at times, but she has definitely overcome the humps. She’s constantly doing what we’re expecting her to do.”