More from Amarion: Johnson blocks shots for Tinley Park. But he’s a captain. And he can score. ‘I try to help my team.’

Long and strong, Amarion Johnson is a shot-blocking machine for Tinley Park.

Johnson’s presence makes opponents think twice about trying to take the ball to the basket. And the 6-foot-8 senior forward puts his all into his defensive game.

“It’s just having the heart to make different plays and do different things to help the team win,” said Johnson, a four-year varsity player. “I try to help my team fix little mistakes.

“If I see somebody get beat, I try to slide over and help them out. I take a lot of pride in defense. I love making defensive plays and hustle plays.”

Johnson showed how impactful he can be on both ends of the court Tuesday.

He scored 11 points, pulled down seven rebounds and blocked six shots to lead the host Titans to a 57-44 South Suburban Blue victory over district rival Oak Forest.

Nolan Maciejewski scored 18 points to pace Tinley Park (6-9, 3-1), which bounced back after a disappointing 0-4 showing at last week’s Big Dipper Tournament. Dashawn Allen added 13 points and Bernard McHerron had six points and 15 rebounds.

Deshawn Nolan led Oak Forest (6-8, 1-3) with 16 points. Amari Brownlee finished with 11 points, while Nicholas Segreti chipped in with seven points and five rebounds.

The Titans dominated in the lane, with Johnson leading the way. Johnson said his vast varsity experience has turned him into a smarter, better player.

“It’s helped me a lot,” Johnson said. “Playing as a freshman, me and coach (D.J.) Brown established our relationship. He knows what I can do. I know what he wants me to do. Being a captain, I know what he wants in that role.

“We just help each other out.”

Brown sees the intimidation factor Johnson provides, especially after he swats a shot or two back in an opponent’s face.

“Even just his presence alone makes that difference,” Brown said of Johnson. “He alters shots just being there. Defensively, we know what we’re going to get out of him.

“Offensively, we’ve talked to him about asserting himself more. I think he did that, and he had a strong offensive game.”

Indeed, Johnson was aggressive on offense early in the game. He scored seven points in the first half as the Titans took a 21-16 halftime lead.

“I’m trying to score more and get my teammates open,” Johnson said. “I know when they get the ball to me, all the defenders are going to look at me, so I try to kick it out to open shooters. They knock down shots.”

Allen took over the game down the stretch, scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter as the Titans pulled away.

“(Brown) says I’m arguably the most athletic guy on the team, so I guess that just kicked in for me,” Allen said. “I just had to buy into it.

“We were playing a rival, so I guess we just played harder.”

Oak Forest is inexperienced and small. That has been a tough combination lately.

“We’ve been struggling all year with rebounding,” Oak Forest first-year coach Tyshaun Cobbs said. “(Johnson) and (McHerron) banged us up pretty good and we had no answer for it. We’ve got to do a better job when it comes to boxing out.

“We tip our cap to them, and going forward, we’ve got work to do.”

The Titans, meanwhile, hope the big win is the start of better things in 2023. Johnson plans to lead the way while hoping to attract more attention from college recruiters.

“I’m getting some interest,” Johnson said. “I definitely want to play in college. That’s my big motivation.”

Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.