Boys Basketball: Old pals Jasper, Wilbut to meet on court as rivals

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Updated: March 26, 2012 1:58AM

Long before Johnnie Jasper and Jerron Wilbut became rivals on the basketball court, they were classmates in elementary school.

Jasper is a starting forward for Hinsdale South. Wilbut has become one of the greater Chicago area’s top guards for No. 16 Downers Grove South.

The irony is that the seniors started out far away from their respective schools. The former classmates were together at Oak View Elementary School, in Bolingbrook, until Wilbut moved to Downers Grove when he was in fifth grade. Jasper remained in Bolingbrook, until his family moved to Poplar Grove, near Rockford, when Jasper was in seventh grade.

Jasper finished middle school in Poplar Grove and attended North Boone High School for two years, until he transferred to Hinsdale South.

“I’ve known Jerron a while,” Jasper said. “He’s competitive and I’m competitive.”

The Mustangs and the Hornets will meet for the second time this season at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Darien. Hinsdale South (9-8, 3-3 West Suburban Gold) is coming off a 48-41 loss at Quincy on Saturday. The Hornets’ scheduled game with Morton was postponed due to the snowstorm and has been rescheduled for Feb. 7.

Downers South (13-4, 4-1) lost back-to-back games for the first time this season, suffering a 64-63 defeat in overtime to Warren at Sears Centre on Saturday, and a 78-70 loss to conference-leading Proviso East in Downers Grove on Jan. 19.

In the previous meeting, Wilbut scored 13 of his game-high 26 points in the third quarter, and the Hornets fell 58-46 at DGS on Dec. 2. The Hornets were led by Brock Benson’s 21 points.

The Hornets’ schedule gets even tougher. Hinsdale South visits first-place Proviso East (16-0, 6-0) on Feb. 3 and Lyons Township (8-9, 4-2), which has won six consecutive games, a day later.

Jasper has made the transition from small-town Poplar Grove to Willowbrook. He sat on the bench last season, until getting a starting role this season.

“The transition has been pretty smooth,” Jasper said. “At my old school, I had a bigger role. At Hinsdale South, there is more of a winning tradition. The coaches have been great.”

A highlight for Jasper is the team’s pasta party, held at a different teammate’s house each week.

The Hornets are looking to repeat their season-best, three-game winning streak, which came in December during the team’s own holiday tournament. Hinsdale beat Eisenhower, Providence and Lake Forest to finish ninth.

“Coach (Vince Doran) tells us we have to cut down on turnovers,” Jasper said. “We know that in the future, we can’t dwell on losses. We have to move on to the next game.”