Lovemore and commitment
Junior point guard shows improvement as Bloom tops Lincoln-Way East
Elijah Lovemore had a great deal of responsibility thrust upon him as soon as he arrived at Bloom as a sophomore last season.
Blazing Trojans coach Dante Maddox made Lovemore the starting point guard and told him to lead the team. It was not always easy, but he knows it’s going to pay off.
“Last year, I was thrown into the fire to see what I could do,” Lovemore said. “It made me a better player. Last year prepared me to be a better player for my junior and senior years.”
And now, Lovemore is becoming the force Maddox knew he could be.
The junior guard turned in another strong performance Thursday night, scoring 14 points and pulling down eight rebounds as Bloom beat host Lincoln-Way East 67-59 in Frankfort.
“He’s one of the leaders on our team,” Maddox said of Lovemore. “We go as he goes. It’s important that he’s aggressive and assertive every single game.
“That’s what we need him to do — be vocal, be a leader and run the team.”
Amare Pryor scored 15 points off the bench to pace Bloom (10-5). Payton Edwards and Jaden Clark contributed 12 points apiece, with Edwards also grabbing 10 rebounds. Santana Flowers finished with eight points and seven rebounds.
Brent Taylor led Lincoln-Way East (12-5) with 18 points. Karson Thomas finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while BJ Powell scored 14 points.
Lovemore transferred to Bloom after spending his freshman season at St. Laurence, where he played on the varsity.
“Things didn’t go the way they were supposed to,” Lovemore said. “So, I wanted to come home and start my own journey at Bloom, become a great player and start my legacy here.”
Lovemore quickly slowed what he could do last season at Bloom, but there were some ups and downs against a tough schedule that had him competing against many of the top senior point guards in the state.
“Last year, all the upperclassmen guards I played against were trying to prove that I was just another underclassman and I wasn’t as good as people said I was,” Lovemore said. “I had to bring it every night because there was always someone coming for my head.
“I had to prove that I belonged.” Maddox has seen Lovemore come a long way — and not just
from last season.
“Even going back to where he was last month to now, it’s a lot different,” Maddox said. “He’s playing a lot more confident, he’s a lot more comfortable, and he’s not worried about any outside noise.
“Now, he’s focused on his team and running his team.”
Clark knows Lovemore is more than capable of running the show.
“He brings intensity, great passing and court vision,” Clark said. “He’s a great point guard.”
Clark and Edwards both had a big first half Thursday, scoring nine points apiece as Bloom built a 34-22 halftime lead.
Lovemore scored eight points in the second half, including a 3-point play that gave the Blazing Trojans a seemingly commanding 60-42 lead with 3:30 to go.
Lincoln-Way East, though, went on a quick 12-0 run and pulled within 60-54 on Powell’s 3-pointer with 1:09 remaining.
Bloom was able to close out the win behind three free throws from Edwards.
One of the Blazing Trojans’ biggest problems last season was letting late leads slip away. Having a more experienced point guard in Lovemore certainly helped avoid that against the Griffins.
“We had to pull it together and finish it out,” Lovemore said. “We couldn’t fold under pressure. We had to do what we did in the beginning to get that lead and go back to making plays to win.”