Youngsters propel Willowbrook past Addison Trail
On Senior Night at Willowbrook on Saturday, it was the Warriors' underclassmen who saved the day.
With a pair of sophomores and a freshman scoring in double figures, Willowbrook came back from a 7-point fourth-quarter deficit to knock off Addison Trail 46-43 in Villa Park.
Freshman Shannon Knudtson, who finished with 11 points, hit a pair of 3-pointers to slice the deficit to 1 before senior Grace Chantos gave the Warriors the lead for good by making two free throws with 1:27 remaining. Chantos is one of only two seniors on the girls basketball roster - fellow senior Kelssie Kraabel has been out since Thanksgiving with an ankle injury but did take the court for the opening tipoff.
"The younger girls really stepped up to make this a great Senior Night for us," Chantos said. "Last year on Senior Night, we lost to AT. Tonight we came out with the most energy I think we've had all season. I've never seen so many players diving on the floor. That was super fun."
Katelyn McCann added 11 points, making a free throw with 7.9 seconds left to account for the final margin. Sophomore Hanna Konrath had swished a pair from the free-throw line 15 seconds earlier after Willowbrook had missed five straight free throws, but the Warriors grabbed offensive rebounds on three of the errant shots.
Sophomore CeCe Lizasuain also scored 11 points, all of which came in the first half.
"It's kind of difficult with all younger girls," Chantos said, "but they really push me to have more energy and to be a better leader. Everyone has improved and next year they will be even better."
For Addison Trail, the ending seemed like deja vu. Trailing 23-17 at halftime, the Blazers opened the third quarter on an 8-0 run to take the lead. They carried a 1-point advantage into the fourth before scoring six consecutive points, two on a basket by Diamond Pikulyk. The senior led all scorers with 18 points to go along with 15 rebounds and 3 steals.
"This has been the last three weeks for us," Addison Trail coach Rob Schader said. "Hinsdale South, we were up 3 and they hit a 3 with eight seconds left and we lost in overtime. Leyden we tied it up and they made a shot at the buzzer. Last night against Morton, we were up 7 at half, played a phenomenal first half.
"It's been the same thing, down the stretch we give it away. We were throwing the ball all over the place, just no respect for the basketball. It's frustrating."
Addison Trail (10-13, 3-6), playing without starting guard Alyssa Pham due to an ankle injury, also got 7 points from Marie Baumgartner and 6 points and 10 rebounds from Jasmin Mehmeti.
Willowbrook improved to 4-6 in the West Suburban Gold, 7-15 overall.
"We played great in the first half," Willowbrook coach Terry Harrell said. "In the second half we didn't come out with the same energy. But it was nice to see the girls make plays down the stretch. We've gotten comfortable in the press and we did a good job taking away passes."