WW South bounces back for victory

After a tough loss to West Chicago on Friday night, Wheaton Warrenville South was again in a tough battle, this time against Hisdale Central on Saturday night.

With the score tied at 51-51 and just less than four minutes to play, the Tigers (4-2) did everything they could do to pull out a victory. It worked as WW South won 59-51.

"Our kids kept sticking with it tonight," WW South coach Mike Healy said. "After the game last night it would have been easy to write this one in, but our kids kept plugging away. We really bounced back tonight, and that speaks volumes about us. I am so proud of our guys right now."

With the game tied 51, Will Dolatowski hit a 3-pointer, his fourth and final 3 of the night, to put the Tigers up 54-51.

"Last night our shots just were not dropping for some reason," Dolatowski said. "We are a shooting team, and coach told us to keep putting the ball up when we get looks. Tonight the ball just fell a lot easier than it did last night. It was nice to win a close one tonight."

A little more than a minute later with the Tigers still leading by 3, Hinsdale Central's Nick Kladis missed a 3-pointer and the Tigers got the rebound and were able to get the ball in transition to Dan Hohenstein, who was fouled going for the block on a layup. The officials ruled an intentional foul, which gave the Tigers two free throws and the ball back with 1:49 to play.

"That was disappointing," Hinsdale Central coach Ed Lynch said. "The kids are supposed to determine the outcome of the game, not the officials. In a 3-point game and less than two minutes to play, you don't make that call. He got a piece of the ball and it is unfortunate the game was taken from our kids that way."

The Red Devils' Kladis, who had five 3-pointers in the game, and John Whitelaw couldn't get a clean look at the basket from behind the arc in the final four minutes as a result of WW South playing a zone and switching on screens. The best they could do was either force up a shot or take a shot from more than a few feet behind the 3-point line.

"We made some adjustments on the defensive end and that helped us keep track of the shooters," Dolatowski said. "We came up huge on that end of the floor and were able to get rebounds and limit their possessions."

The Tigers put the game away in the final 1:05 as Reilly O'Toole and Ty Peterson combined to go 4 for 4 from the foul line. Derek Babb had 13 points and 6 rebounds, and Hohenstein had 12 points and 7 rebounds in the win. Kladis scored a game-high 15 points in the loss.

Jordan Williams of Hinsdale Central (1-4) scored 11 points and grabbed a game-high 9 rebounds.