Addison blazing a new trail
Addison Trail's girls basketball team may not have the record it would like right now, but teams looking past the Blazers this year better look closer.
"That's a much better team than it's been in the past," said Willowbrook coach Troy Nelson. "I told our kids it wasn't going to be easy. They've got some kids that can play."
Willowbrook trailed Addison Trail after the second and third quarters in Addison but used good old reliable defensive pressure and a 21-11 scoring edge in the final quarter to win 54-46 in a West Suburban Gold contest.
"When our offense isn't getting its shots, our defense is what saves us in games," said Willowbrook senior Colette Williams.
Taylor Nelson went hard to the basket and buried a trio of three-pointers to pace the Warriors (7-6, 3-3) with 20 points, and Williams played her usual scrappy game and scored 14 on the night.
The Blazers (3-11, 1-5) and Warriors were tied 10-10 when Nelson and Addison Trail's Jasmine Little traded 3-pointers, and Katie Seccombe gave the Warriors a 15-13 lead after a quarter.
Addison Trail earned a 13-6 scoring edge in the second quarter, getting a 3 from Little to start things off and taking a 24-18 lead on a 10-foot jumper by Meghan Crotty. The Blazers led 26-21 at halftime.
Nelson gave the Warriors a momentary lead at the end of the third with a drive to the basket, but Little buried a long 3 to give the Blazers a 35-33 lead after three quarters.
"Thirty-three through three quarters? I'll take that any day," said Blazers coach Rob Schader. "A good outside shooting team like (Willowbrook) is going to score, so if we can hold them to 33 for three quarters, we at least have a chance to win."
The Blazers led 38-33 in the fourth before two Williams baskets and a Nelson spin-move and three-point play put Willowbrook up 40-38. The game was tied once more before the Warriors' defense effectively shut down the Blazers.
"We played hard. We played our butts off," Schader said. "They just played harder than us down the stretch."
A three-point play by Angela Domin gave Willowbrook a 48-40 lead with three minutes left to play, and the Warriors spread the floor offensively, managed the clock and hit their late free throws to secure the win.
Erica Spear led the Blazers with 15 points, Little and Mercedes Rallings scored 8 apiece, and Jenn Schulmeister netted 7 points. Domin also finished with 8 for Willowbrook, which also got 11 rebounds on the night from Danielle Muhlena.
"She's getting better. She's still inconsistent with her scoring, but she was huge on the glass tonight," Nelson said of Muhlena.