Hinsdale South scratches past Willowbrook
Like an itch in the middle of your back that you can't quite reach, Willowbrook tormented its hosts from Hinsdale South for 32 minutes Friday night, closing within 4 or 6 points on numerous occasions in the second half.
The Hornets finally found a way to scratch that itch, however, as Karl Ploger and Joe Petrak combined to make 9 of 10 free throws in the final two minutes to enable Hinsdale South to post a 61-53 West Suburban Gold victory over the Warriors.
"We finally stepped up at the line," said Hinsdale South coach Vince Doran. "We had been struggling, and Karl had been struggling earlier in the game, but we made our free throws down the stretch."
Willowbrook's struggles came early in the contest, and they looked ripe to be left in the dust as they managed just 2 field goals in the game's first 15 minutes, 14 seconds. That left the Warriors facing a 23-11 deficit with Graham Vanhal, Ploger, Phil George and Jason Viane teaming for a balanced Hornets attack that saw all of them score between 3 and 6 points in the half, but then Ahmed Melhim and Eric Miller stepped up to hit 3-pointers in a 30-second span that left the Warriors trailing only 23-17 at the break.
The second half was a different offensive story for both squads. After being held to just 3 points in the first half, Willowbrook's Graham Olatunji erupted for 12 points in the third quarter, and 21 in the half, while Miller's 3-pointer brought the Warriors (7-12, 2-3) within 33-29 with three minutes left in the third quarter. George answered that 3-pointer with one of his own as the Hornets (12-3, 3-2) began to open the lead back up. That's how the second half would play out - the Warriors would spurt, then the Hornets would repel them and restore their breathing room.
The Warriors did whittle a 54-43 deficit down to 56-50 with 35 seconds to play, but then Ploger and Petrak sealed the deal at the stripe.
"I thought our kids played well and did a lot of things we can work with," said Willowbrook coach Tim Lavorato. "We played our guts out and laid it all out on the floor, but we made too many errors. When you give up four or five possessions with turnovers, then you're in a 10-point hole, and that was the game. If we cut that down to only one turnover, it's a one-possession game and we're not shooting 3s at the end."
Doran also credited Willowbrook's effort, which made his team sweat through the final buzzer.
"They adjusted well," he said. "At the beginning of game our 1-3-1 zone was effective, but then their kids felt more comfortable against it and we switched to man and had some trouble in man. We can be smarter; we have to take the next step and play smarter basketball."