Joliet West stuns Warren 80-66 despite 38 from sophomore Jaxson Davis

Joliet West's 80-66 win over visiting Warren on Saturday was one of the most surprising results of the Chicago-area high school basketball weekend. Little in the Tigers' recent form suggested a result like that was coming.

Warren sophomore Jaxson Davis scored 38 points and did all he could for the Blue Devils, who played without starters Javerion Banks and Jack Wolf. Davis also passed 1,000 career points in the loss. He has played 52 games, an average of 19.2 points per game, and the milestone drew plenty of attention on social media.

Joliet West began the season ranked but fell out of the Super 25 after a home loss to Romeoville in early December. The Tigers were not competitive against DePaul Prep in the quarterfinals at Pontiac, then lost to New Trier in the consolation bracket and opened 2025 with a loss to Crete-Monee. Even so, Joliet West has the personnel to compete with Warren and a true size advantage.

Zion Gross, the Tigers' most consistent player, scored 26 points against Warren. Ethan Hillsman, a 6-foot-7 junior who transferred from Tennessee, added 15. He has shown more consistency over the past month.

Warren should still be the top-five team many expected this season once it is back at full strength. Its résumé includes wins over Lincoln Park, Stevenson, Young, Lake Forest and Deerfield. The Blue Devils also stayed competitive with top-tier opponents, losing to Kenwood and DePaul Prep by a combined 11 points.

Joliet West now has to show it can build on the win. Winnable road games at Oswego and Minooka come first. The toughest part of its schedule follows, with games against Peoria Manual, Homewood-Flossmoor, Bolingbrook, Glenbard West and Oswego East.

Elsewhere, Lake Park senior Orion Kelly-Quintero played in his first varsity game on Tuesday at St. Charles North. He had torn the ACL in his left knee in 2024 and the one in his right knee in 2023. Coach Billy Pitcher called it "one of my favorite coaching moments."

Pitcher said Kelly-Quintero checked in on a free throw on the first possession, grabbed an offensive rebound and hit a three-pointer. He later went 4-for-4 on free throws down the stretch to help seal the win. "I got chills," Pitcher said, adding that he was happy his player kept rehabbing and did not give up. The team gave Kelly-Quintero a water-cup shower in the locker room afterward.

Other notable results included Warren's 67-51 win over Stevenson on Friday and Kenwood's 70-68 overtime victory over Phillips on Thursday. Benet beat Romeoville 59-30 on Saturday, Lincoln Park topped Eagle Academy (NY) 74-65, and Rolling Meadows edged Evanston 63-61. Conant beat Lake Park 47-43 in two overtimes. Salesian Prep (CA) defeated Curie 67-63 in overtime.