This time Willowbrook holds off Downers South
As Downers Grove South's Seth Carson rose for the buzzer-beating shot, every Willowbrook player had the exact same thought.
Not again.
Fortunately for the Warriors, the shot went off the mark to preserve Willowbrook's 61-60 West Suburban Gold boys basketball victory Thursday night in Villa Park.
The win avenges a stinging loss to the Mustangs (10-9) two months ago in the Gold opener. Willowbrook (14-4, 5-2) held a 13-point fourth-quarter lead on Nov. 30, only to see Downers South rally to send the game into overtime and win by 7 points.
This time Willowbrook made sure to finish it off.
"I think the big difference was we were able to hold our composure," said Willowbrook's Jamell Hunter, who scored 9 of his 13 points in the third quarter. "We were just patient out there and settled down."
It was tough to settle down too much, though, as the Mustangs stormed back from an 8-point deficit with less than three minutes to play.
Three-pointers by Malcolm Herron, Andrius Simulis and Miles Johnson tore into the margin. Johnson's made it 61-60 with 7.5 seconds left.
After a pair of missed free throws by Willowbrook, the Mustangs snared the rebound and burst down the court. The ball went to Carson, but his running mid-range jumper bounded away as time expired.
Downers South's barrage of 10 3-pointers nearly pulled off another stunning comeback win, but the Warriors held on to stay within two games of Gold leader Morton.
"We weren't in as big of a hole this time as we were last time," said Mustangs coach Paul Runyon. "Always with Willowbrook, it's a tough game for us."
Willowbrook never trailed after taking an 18-14 lead after a quarter. The Warriors controlled the post behind 6-foot-5 Milton Colbert, who led all scorers with 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
"We kept our heads in the game, definitely," Colbert said. "We just had to stay positive and kept the intensity up. We knew we owed DGS this one."
Herron led the Mustangs with 16 points while Simulis and Julius Staisiunas each tallied 11 points. Billy Dillon added 10 points.
Four players hit double-figure scoring for the Warriors as well. Chris Smith and Kyler Market chipped in 10 points apiece.
"These games are never over," Warriors coach Tim Lavorato said of Downers South's comeback. "I liked our effort. It just shows that we've grown."