Gulo, Leyden whip Willowbrook
Leyden guard John Gulo made the most of his first varsity start in Friday's West Suburban Gold game against Willowbrook. The junior had a hot hand from behind the 3-point arc in the second half to spark his team.
His perimeter shooting combined with the play of fellow guards Javi Lazcano and Tracy Silmon as well as a defensive adjustment led the way for a decisive 66-45 Eagles victory over the host Warriors in Villa Park.
Gulo poured in 14 points, making 4-of-5 3-point attempts in the game. Two of those 3-pointers came in the fourth quarter as Leyden outscored Willowbrook 23-10 to pull away.
"John Gulo is a guy who is really developing into his role," said Leyden coach Bill Heisler. "He was a guy who was not playing much for us and he stuck with it. He is a great kid. We knew he could shoot."
"I had so much confidence and felt really good out there," Gulo said. "My teammates were prepping me up out there."
While Gulo was hitting the jumpers, Lazcano and Silmon used their quickness to take the ball to the hoop and score on strong drives or dish to an open player somewhere else on the court. Lazcano led all scorers with 16 points and Silmon chipped in 11 points.
On one sweet play late in the third quarter, Lazcano drove the lane and got the defense to collapse on him. The senior dished it back outside to Gulo, who nailed the 3-pointer from the right wing.
"Javi has had a great career for us," Heisler said. "He has had some ups and downs. It was so great to see him come out tonight and be aggressive and assertive."
Defensively, the Eagles (10-10, 5-4) switched to a triangle-and-two defense in the second half. They keyed on stopping two Warriors standouts - center Graham Olatunji and guard Eric Miller - and looked to force other players to score. The strategy worked.
While this Willowbrook senior duo accounted for 22 of Willowbrook's 25 halftime points, Olatunji was held to 7 points while Miller did not score in the final two quarters. Olatunji finished with a team-high 15 points, and Miller piled up 14 points.
"We need another player to step and score for us," said Willowbrook coach Tim Lavorato. "We got in a hole and had to play catch up. The Eagles played to their tempo."
As a team, the Warriors (7-15, 2-6) shot an ice-cold 30.8 percent from the floor in the contest compared to 55.3 percent for Leyden.
Willowbrook did only trail 41-35 heading into the final eight minutes of action, but the Eagles really got rolling late and controlled the ball.
"We spread it out, passed the ball and tried to waste time," Lazcano said. "Lots of ball faking, driving and getting to the foul line."