Downers South holds off Glenbard North again

Like always, Glenbard North’s boys basketball team played tough against a strong Downers Grove South squad.

Again, though, the Mustangs came out on top in a close one.

Downers South held off a late Glenbard North charge to beat the Panthers 66-60 at Saturday’s Downers Grove North Winter Classic.

The Mustangs (13-2) led by as many as 16 points before Glenbard North (8-6) made a furious third-quarter comeback behind a 16-2 run. It gave the Panthers a 49-48 lead, an advantage that shifted to 54-53 early in the third quarter on Josh Fleming’s 3-pointer.

After Justin Jackson’s bucket tied the game at 58-58 with 3:45 left, however, Downers South closed the game with an 8-2 run. Jerron Wilbut, who scored a game-high 33 points, and Jamall Millison, who scored 16 points, scored 4 points apiece in sealing the win.

Saturday’s win marked the third victory in the last year for Downers South against Glenbard North. The Mustangs edged the Panthers 54-51 in last year’s Class 4A regional semifinals.

“I always like playing against Glenbard North,” Wilbut said. “Every time we play them it’s a challenge. We had to just slow it down, and once we did that it worked out for us.”

Wilbut was incredible while scoring 22 first-half points, a number that epitomized Downers South’s 50 percent shooting from the field in the first and second quarters. The Mustangs built a 30-14 lead on a Wilbut 3-pointer before a last-second 3-pointer by Glenbard North’s Chavares Flanigan narrowed the halftime gap to 40-31.

Fleming managed 5 points in the first half before exploding for 11 in the third quarter and 21 for the game. Flanigan added 12 points and Ryan Krueger scored 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

“The guys played really hard in the second half,” said Panthers coach Joe Larson. “It makes you proud as a coach. But it also makes you disappointed that you didn’t finish, and we’re a team that wants to finish.”