Addison Trail pulls away from Willowbrook

After a slow start Tuesday night, Addison Trail found its stride at Willowbrook.

The Blazers hope that pattern will be their season in a nutshell.

Addison Trail spotted the host Warriors an early 5-point lead before pulling away for a 51-34 win in Villa Park. It's a breath of fresh air for the hard-luck Blazers (3-7, 2-1 West Suburban Gold).

"We needed this one," Blazers coach Rob Schader said. "We definitely needed this one to build some confidence."

Addison Trail's record is somewhat deceiving. Of its seven losses, five have come by 8 points for fewer, including 2-point defeats to Glenbard East and Glenbard South.

"We kind of gave away a couple games early," Schader said, "but you know we have four sophomores up and we have a bunch of juniors, and a girl out of town for a week. We have Proviso East on Saturday - we'll see where we're at."

Willowbrook (1-8, 1-2) led 12-7 a minute into the second quarter. Addison Trail junior guard Jazmin Little, who missed her first three 3-point attempts, knocked down two in a row to give the Blazers the lead for good. Little added another trifecta in the third quarter, finishing with 15 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals.

"I just kept shooting and built up the confidence," Little said. "Shooting is something I love. I work on it every day in practice with my brother."

The Blazers finished the half on a 16-1 run, and an 11-0 third-quarter spurt capped by 4 Little free throws gave them a 38-20 lead.

Schader appreciated his team's heightened aggressiveness as the game wore on after too often settling for jump shots early. Marissa Pezzopane had 14 points and Daisy Murillo 10. Murrillo's 8 rebounds led a commanding 44-29 advantage the Blazers enjoyed on the boards. Schader wasn't as pleased with 25 turnovers.

"We really put a lot of emphasis in practice on rebounding," Schader said. "We're still a little nervous with the basketball and throw it around too much. It's hit or miss from game to game. But I can't complain. The girls are working hard."

Mary Flood and Louisa Reese both scored 9 points and Nicole Interrante had 11 rebounds for Willowbrook. The Warriors once again held an opponent to around the 50-point mark. But ice-cold 24 percent shooting followed an all-to-familiar early-season theme.

"It's not for lack of trying, it's not for lack of working," Willowbrook coach Terry Harrell said. "But the bottom line is we have not made shots when we need to make shots. We got the shots we wanted tonight. They just didn't fall."