Brady Pettigrew evens the score against Cole Kelly and sends Bolingbrook to the sectional final

At some point on Wednesday night or Thursday morning, Bolingbrook sophomore Brady Pettigrew is probably going to find a new inspirational photo to use as his phone screen.

Since Jan. 24 that valuable real estate in Pettigrew’s mind has been focused on Neuqua Valley generally and Cole Kelly specifically.

“He got me once,” Pettigrew said. “It has been on my phone screen since. I was waiting for this game. Credit to him, he had a great game. He didn’t hit as many shots as he would like, but he’s a great player. Everyone saw that.”

Pettigrew and Kelly are top-40 sophomores in the national class of 2028 and treated the sold-out crowd at the Class 4A Bolingbrook Sectional to a show.

The game featured multiple lead changes in both halves, but the No. 8 Raiders and Pettigrew dominated the fourth quarter to beat No. 5 Neuqua Valley 68-53 on Wednesday.

Pettigrew finished with 25 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Kelly had 17 points and seven rebounds and shot 5-for-19.

“When you are an elite player, you want to show that you are an elite player and [Pettigrew] did that tonight,” Bolingbrook coach Rob Brost said. “He is getting more mature with his game. The efficiency was his next thing and he is doing that.”

Bolingbrook (25-7) led by nine midway through the third quarter. Kelly scored seven points in a 13-1 run that put Neuqua Valley ahead 46-43. Pettigrew tied the game with three free throws to close out the third quarter.

“We didn’t defend [Pettigrew] very well,” Neuqua Valley coach Todd Sutton said. “He had open shots early. Our defense was just off. Give them credit. That is not normal for us.”

The fourth quarter was all Bolingbrook. The Raiders are taller, faster and deeper than Neuqua Valley and it showed. Pettigrew threw down two impressive dunks in the final quarter, and Jeremy McCullum had one.

“It was a great team win,” Pettigrew said. “Our coaches came through with some great play calls down the stretch. I love them to death, and I feel that they have my back.”

Jayden Madden, a 6-9 senior, had nine points and 13 rebounds. He led the charge on the Raiders’ 34-20 advantage on the boards.

“[Madden] has really been coming on of late,” Brost said. “It has been a different season for him personally. He was hurt and then he was sick and then he got sick a second time. He’s finally healthy and putting it all together. He makes a big difference.”

Bolingbrook played a challenging schedule against several high-level national teams and then spent a portion of the season without point guard Trey Brost, so the Raiders have been just outside the handful of elite teams at the top of the Super 25. With Brost and Madden both back and clicking, the Raiders are peaking at the right time.

“Today I just brought it all,” Madden said. “I didn’t want to go home. [The season] has been hard, but I had the mentality to push through and keep going. The team relies on me, so I have to show up. I know my length and my style of play, so I went out there and used it to my advantage.”

Illinois recruit Mason Martin had 13 points and four rebounds for Neuqua Valley (32-2) and junior Danny Mikuta scored 11 points.

“You can’t stop Mason and Cole for a whole game, but we wanted to limit them,” Pettigrew said. “Give credit to our fans. It was packed; they all came out. Credit to the Bolingbrook community.”

Bolingbrook will host top-ranked Benet in the sectional final on Friday. The Raiders student section chanted “we want Benet” as the final seconds of the game ticked away.

“Everybody wants Benet,” Pettigrew said. “That’s the team to beat.”