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Homewood-Flossmoor’s post players combined for 35 points and the visiting Vikings ran all over host Joliet Central in a 78-51 SouthWest Suburban contest Friday night.

Homewood-Flossmoor (21-5, 13-1) got 18 points from 6-8 junior Tai Odiase and 17 points from the 6-5 Marius Hill. Rashaan Surles had 12 assists, mostly to the two big men in the middle.

“We concentrate on our post play in practice and we make sure our post play is perfect for the games,” Odiase said. “I just wanted to prove that we’re not a team to sleep on and we want to set our mark early before the playoffs.”

Jonah Coble, who had been coming off the bench as of late for the Steelmen, started against the Vikings and tried to spark Central’s offense in the first half. Coble went into halftime having scored 12 points and finished with a game-high 26.

But Central (12-14, 7-7) could only watch as H-F’s offense was firing on all cylinders. The Vikings led 39-22 at the break and their bench accounted for 16 points in the second quarter alone.

Even though Coble ran up the Vikings’ defense for 26 points, H-F was still able to contain Central’s other big scorer — Jalen Heath — to only seven points. Heath averages 14.9 per game.

H-F coach Jim McLaughlin thought the Vikings were able to pull the momentum in their favor as early as the first half.

“I think at that two minute mark right before halftime we were sitting there up by about 20,” McLaughlin said. “It was a concerted effort of what we did defensively. We got easy baskets in transition, too.”

Midway though the third quarter, the Vikings went ahead by 21 points and Joliet Central was never able to get close.

The Steelmen begin regional play at 7:30 Monday at Lockport. It will be the second time in two weeks that Central will face the Porters.