Janae’s way: LSU-bound Janae Kent keeps it all Oak Forest, all the time. And the wins keep on coming. ‘I love it here.’

The Janae Kent era at Oak Forest is in its final chapter.

The 6-foot-1 forward/guard has been a freshman phenom, a sophomore standout and a junior player of the year with a commitment to LSU.

“I never would have thought in a million years that I’d scratch the surface to get this far,” Kent said. “I had a big push from my parents, and especially my brother (Jayson). And I’ve had so much support here. Always someone pushing me, like coach (Jeff) Kelly coming in at 6 in the morning to let me in the gym.

“I think that coach Kelly and his staff were really ‘it’ for me. And when I got here, I really bonded with the girls. This has been a great atmosphere for me, for sure.”

She’s making her senior season about everyone around her as much as herself.

A thank you, if you will.

“There are some ups and downs right now,” Kent said. “I want to get our team together, get our chemistry together.

“I love it here. I love everyone here. We’ve got nine seniors, so I want all of us to finish out with a great season.”

Kent was clutch Sunday, leading the Bengals to a 48-47 victory over Simeon in the Chicago Elite Classic at Illinois-Chicago.

Her grand finale was stealing a ball on the defensive end, going the length of the court and finishing with a left-handed layup for the winning basket.

She ended up with 24 points and eight rebounds for Oak Forest (6-2).

Points and rebounds, however, will only be a part of her lasting legacy.

“Maddie Martinez is a freshman and ‘Bree’ Anderson is a sophomore,” Kelly said. “She’s taken both of them under her wing. She’s showing them how to work, what body preparation and working out on a daily basis looks like.

“Janae genuinely loves these kids and wants to take them as far as she can in the playoffs. She could have gone anywhere in the state to play basketball, but she chose to stay at Oak Forest and take her community as far as they can go.”

Tough to stop: Thornwood junior Trinity Chears has been impressive lately. Thunderbirds coach Kevin Green is noticing — and isn’t afraid to shout it out.

“If Trinity wants to get to the basket, there’s nobody who can stay in front of her,” Green said. “She’s truly one of those players who can put you over the top.”

Chears, a 5-5 guard, contributed 22 points and six assists Saturday as Thornwood beat Marist 47-44 at Crete-Monee.

For the season, Chears is averaging 15.3 points, 5.0 assists and 2.3 steals. And while she can drive, she doesn’t have to for the Thunderbirds (7-1).

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“Her shot is developing a lot better, so now a lot of people have to honor that,” Green said. “It makes her more dangerous. What I’m impressed with is she’s starting to get to the basket and get the ball to the big girl.”

New heights: Sandburg and Oak Lawn took Saturday’s nonconference game all the way to the top.

The two teams played on the 17th floor of an office building in downtown Chicago. The gym has floor-to-ceiling windows, with a panoramic view of the city.

Sandburg coach Nick Fotopoulos was wowed by the view. So, apparently, were the players.

“After the first six minutes of the game, it was 4-2,” Fotopoulos said, laughing. “Both teams were trying to get their bearings, trying to figure out the sightlines. Really, what you’re doing is shooting into the city, into the abyss.”

The shots eventually fell, with Sandburg winning 47-39.

Juliana Paddock had 15 points for the Eagles (5-2). Josie Canellis added 12.