Wheaton Warrenville South wins sixth straight
Wheaton Warrenville South's boys basketball team put together 28 minutes of magic Friday night. At that point the last four minutes didn't matter.
The Tigers stayed on their midseason roll with a 69-53 DuPage Valley Conference victory over visiting Glenbard North, notching their sixth straight win in the process.
The first half especially looked like a clinic as WW South (12-3, 5-1) shot well, defended well, took good care of the ball and forced 14 turnovers. Most important, though, the Tigers closed the half on a 14-4 run to break out to a 39-18 lead at the break.
"We came out real strong defensively," said Tigers junior Reilly O'Toole, who led three double-digit scorers with 16 points. "Offensively, we were just trying to settle in and we started knocking down some shots, which really helped. We've had a pretty good stretch the last few games."
WW South continued its torrid pace early in the third quarter by scoring the first 7 points of the half. Jason Schuman had a putback, O'Toole converted a 3-point play and Derek Babb scored to extend the margin to 46-18.
"You look a lot better when you shoot the ball the way we shot it," said Tigers coach Mike Healy, referring to his team's 22-of-42 shooting from the field through three quarters. "But I think the key was how well we played defensively."
Even when Glenbard North (6-8, 2-4) made a run, it barely made a dent. An 8-0 run, including 3-pointers from James Fleming and Anthony Keener, put the score at 55-37. The Panthers closed the game on a 10-0 run after WW South built a 26-point advantage.
"I thought everyone contributed," Healy said. "We've kind of been like that. We have some guys who don't put up the point totals, but we still get something huge out of them."
Will Dolatowski hit four of the Tigers' nine 3-pointers while scoring 14 points. Schuman added 13 points. Fleming paced Glenbard North with 17 points.
Both teams make a quick turnaround to play in today's Downers Grove North Winter Classic shootout. Glenbard North faces Hinsdale Central at 3 p.m., followed by WW South's game against Downers Grove South at 4:30 p.m.
This is the second of three straight doubleheader weekends for the Tigers, but they seem to be thriving on the busy schedule.
"We've got a tough game against Downers South," O'Toole said. "We can't dwell on this one too long."