Hinsdale South beats Willowbrook in 2 OTs

Finally at full strength, Willowbrook’s boys basketball team has reached the key stage of consistent competitiveness.

The more crucial point of consistent winning, however, remains elusive.

It took two overtimes for Hinsdale South to claim a 85-78 West Suburban Gold win over the Warriors Friday in Villa Park.

Willowbrook (1-9, 0-3) led late in regulation and late in the first overtime, but the Hornets (4-5, 2-2) managed to extend the game each time. Behind Phil George’s basket and 8-of-8 free-throw shooting in the second extra period, Hinsdale South ultimately pulled away.

“We were having a bad game early and we knew we had to step up,” said Hornets guard Dijon James, who scored 13 of his team-high 25 points after the third quarter. “We just had to match their intensity, and as a team we came together.”

The loss overshadowed a 27-point performance from Willowbrook’s Tiger Greene, playing in just his second game of the season. Fellow guard Josh Joiner had been out with an ankle injury, but he returned Friday to score 18 points before fouling out in the second overtime.

Ryan Rader’s fourth-quarter basket gave the Warriors a 63-58 lead, but the Hornets’ rally was capped by James’ tying basket with 12 seconds left to make it 64 apiece.

Willowbrook took a quick 67-64 lead on Greene’s 3-pointer. A steal by James and a putback by George, who scored 23 points, tied it at 72-72 at the end of the first overtime.

George scored to open the second overtime, putting Hinsdale South ahead for the first time since late in the third quarter. Joiner briefly tied it before the Hornets used a 5-0 run to seize control. George’s free throws iced the game.

“For this being the first game with my full team, you can see we’re pretty good when we have a full roster,” said Willowbrook coach Chris Perkins. “When it comes down to situations at the end, we haven’t been in them enough in a live game. You only learn so much in practice.”

The lead changed hands 15 times and there were 11 ties. Six-foot-eight Hornets center Brock Benson fouled out late in the fourth quarter with 19 points and 9 rebounds. Jerry Stoltz and Johnnie Jasper also fouled out for the Hornets while Raphael Garcia fouled out for Willowbrook.

Warriors sophomore Edvinas Mickevicius knocked down three 3-pointers en route to scoring 20 points.

“Those Willowbrook kids play hard, it’s like this every time we play them,” said Hinsdale South coach Vince Doran. “It was one of those games that could have gone either way, and we were fortunate enough to make a few more plays than them.”