WW South enjoying extra time in the gym
After playing two basketball games on Saturday and with two more to come on Monday, Wheaton Warrenville South senior Dillon Durrett had one thought on his mind at the end of a long day.
"We just feel like we need to get in the gym on Sunday and refresh ourselves," he said. "Just keep getting shots up so we can get loose for Monday."
Durrett scored a game-high 24 points and the Tigers dictated the pace to advance to the semifinals of the WW South MLK Tournament with Saturday's 46-40 second-round victory over Auburn.
Coming on the heels of a 65-43 morning win over Glenbard East, the Tigers' win over Auburn puts them a victory away from the title game. They'll face Homewood-Flossmoor, winners over Huntley and Benet, at 11 a.m. Monday.
As well as the Tigers played defensively on Saturday, they'll need to be even better against the powerful Vikings on Monday.
"This is a great challenge for the kids, playing different schools with different styles," said Tigers coach Mike Healy. "We're excited for the next opportunity. To play Homewood-Flossmoor is a huge deal for us."
Taking advantage of numerous successful backdoor cuts, WW South trailed only once at the start of the game. The Tigers (17-1) used a 10-0 run to build a 16-5 lead early in the second quarter.
WW South held its biggest lead of 29-13 early in the third quarter, but Auburn (11-7) closed to within 4 points midway through the fourth. Durrett scored 10 of his team's 12 points in the period to help the Tigers keep their distance.
Chase Stebbins scored 8 points for the Tigers while Terry Ford knocked down four 3-pointers and led Auburn with 14 points.
In the opening win over Glenbard East, Durrett scored 19 points and Jake Healy had 15 points.
"At big moments we had bursts of energy and that helped us," Durrett said. "We're pretty motivated, but we need to get our minds right for Monday."
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