Playing through an injury, TF South’s Romello Ali keeps things simple. ‘I’m a shot maker and a shot taker.’

T.F. South’s Romello Ali can heat up as quickly as any shooter in the area.

When the senior guard does, good luck stopping him.

“I feel like once I get hot, there aren’t too many people that are going to stay with me,” Ali said. “Not to be cocky or anything, but when my teammates get hot, I let them go play and they do the same for me.

“They know I’m a shot maker and a shot taker.”

Ali shook off an injury and made a bunch of shots Wednesday night, scoring 25 points and pulling down 10 rebounds to lead the host Red Wolves to a 69-50 win over Lincoln-Way West in Lansing.

Sam Townsend also had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds for T.F. South (15-13), while Marqell Wilson scored nine points and Daetwan Thomas chipped in with eight points.

Eli Bach scored 21 points and Jacob Bereza provided 11 points and six rebounds for Lincoln-Way West (10-18).

Ali felt some pain in his right leg after Tuesday’s win over Oak Forest and it really started to bother him in the first half Wednesday. He missed his first three shots and went scoreless in the first quarter.

“The only reason the shots weren’t falling is my leg was feeling a little bit uncomfortable before the game,” Ali said. “I had to fight through it. It was kind of weird. I had to get used to it.

“My coach (Todd Gillespie) took me out and we started warming my leg up and things like that so I could get back to my full speed. It felt better in the second half.”

Feeling like himself after the halftime break, Ali poured in 17 points in the second half. He hit six 3-pointers over the final three quarters.

It was quite the hot streak after a slow start, but it was a familiar sight for Townsend.

“It’s normal for him,” Townsend said. “He works like crazy. Practice, practice, practice. He hits those shots in practice and it translates to the game. If he keeps taking shots, he’s going to knock them down.”

Ali became a three-sport athlete for the first time this school year, adding football to basketball and track.

“Football, I wanted to play when I was younger and never did so I figured this season, ‘Why not?’” Ali said. “The coaches kind of recruited me to come play. It was very fun. When I got my first reception in a game, that was kind of a big deal.

“When I came back to basketball, I noticed a lot more explosiveness. I was already an explosive guy, but football boosted that tenfold.”

While Ali struggled with the leg pain early, Townsend boosted T.F. South with 12 points in the first half.

The Red Wolves trailed 14-9 late in the first quarter before outscoring Lincoln-Way West 22-2 over a stretch of six-plus minutes through midway in the second quarter.

The Warriors never recovered.

“We were having some trouble keeping them off the boards and their quickness caused us some problems, created some turnovers,” Lincoln-Way West coach Tanner Mitchell said. “(Ali) started hitting shots. We’re just having trouble defensively now against some of these teams.”

T.F. South, meanwhile, seems to be peaking at the right time. The Red Wolves have won three of their last four games, including Friday’s huge 67-60 victory over rival T.F. North.

“You want to get these wins, but most importantly, you want to build some momentum into the playoffs,” Gillespie said. “You want to build your identity, and that’s what we’re looking for — to be consistent going into the playoffs.

“We don’t have a lot of size, but if we can rebound and shoot it well, we can beat anybody.”

Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.