Thornton coach Troy Jackson called it a joke. Thornton guard Brandon Dagans still couldn’t understand it afterward.
In any case, it was costly. A double technical foul called on Dagans, with his team up four points on Bloom midway through the fourth quarter, proved to be crucial Friday night in Chicago Heights.
An eight-point turnaround resulted, starting a 15-6 closing run by Bloom’s Trojans and a 67-62 SICA East victory over the No. 12 Wildcats (16-7, 5-4), who had won five straight.
“I don’t think the referee should have given him the first technical,” Jackson said. “He did, and you have to live with it. What can I say? It was a joke.”
Dagans, who scored a team-high 16, said: “I just lost my cool, but I walked away from him. The first tech I can understand, but two? That’s just not right.”
After Robert Lee, fouled by Dagans on the play, hit the front end of a one-and-one, Dante Childress hit all four technical free throws. Childress–who had 13 points, 11 in the final quarter–followed with a three to put his team up 60-56.
Jonathan Austin led the Trojans (17-9, 5-4) with 27 points.
