Coleman’s last-minute drive lifts undefeated Waubonsie over Normal

Waubonsie Valley junior point guard Tyreek Coleman had a game to remember on Saturday night.

And a game to forget – at times.

With a quick first-step, Coleman relied on his burst of speed to get open several times against front-court heavy Normal Community.

Yet, even in a game with several outstanding plays, Coleman endured a few bad-luck moments as well. He missed a breakaway dunk, then had two 3-pointers roll in and out.

“I haven’t (had) a game (like that), just one of those ones some shots you wish you could have knocked down,” Coleman said of his three near-makes.

But Coleman rose up to the challenge when it counted.

Coleman scored on a driving lay-in with 38 seconds left to lead the undefeated Warriors to a thrilling 40-38 victory over Normal Community in the Wheaton Warrenville South MLK Showcase.

Coleman paced the Warriors (16-0) with a team-high 18 points, while Tre Blissett added 7 points and Moses Wilson finished with 6 points.

Coleman said the Warriors showed a lot of heart to knock off the Ironmen (18-2). Coleman added the victory should quiet some of the critics, too.

“It was a high stakes game,” Coleman said. “We were wondering if we could get it done, or we could continue the streak against a tough team. They talk about the strength of schedule…I knew we would get it done. We’ve fought through adversity this year.”

Coleman scored four of his points in the fourth quarter, the biggest coming following a timeout. He blew past a Normal Community defender, racing in for a lay-up to give the Warriors a 40-36 lead. The Ironmen cut the deficit to 40-38 but missed two potential winning 3-pointers in the final seconds to drop their second game of the season.

Coleman said he saw an opening on his drive which started at halfcourt.

“I got past my man, then saw there was no help and I had a straight line to the rim,” Coleman said. “We heard the chatter whether we could get it done. We went out there and made a statement win, to let them know we’re a top team in the state and can battle with anybody. We showed that tonight.”

Normal, which beat Kenwood last weekend, entered the week ranked third in the Class 4A poll but couldn’t win its third game in 24 hours.

Waubonsie Valley’s Matt Sessom and Cade Valek played solid defense against Normal’s trio of big guys, helping hold 6-foot-8 Noah Cleveland (13 points, 9 rebounds) and Wright State recruit, 6-10 Jaheem Webber (2 points, 5 rebounds) in check despite a big height disparity.

Sessom said he tried his best to slow down Normal’s talented frontcourt.

“It was tiring,” the 6-foot-2 Sessom said. “I had to work very hard. They were like 6-10 and 6-8, so I played with a bunch of heart. We really wanted to win this game. We all played with our hearts. We have a chip. We really want to take it downstate this year.”

The Ironmen led for the majority of the first two-plus quarters but the Warriors started doing a better job on the boards. The Warriors took four charges and played solid perimeter defense.

“We battled hard, and the sky is the limit,” Waubonsie Valley coach Andrew Schweitzer said. “(Matt and Cade) battled. I told them it was going to be their toughest night of the year. They fought for positioning and we tracked the ball when we needed to. It was a complete team effort…I think Tyreek Coleman had a special game. He really stole the show at moments out there and had clutch baskets. I’m proud of him and the kids.”