Willowbrook works through tough spot

Willowbrook guard Phillip Reid and his teammates weren't fazed when Proviso East pulled ahead late in Friday's West Suburban Gold boys basketball showdown. The Warriors kept their focus and rallied down the stretch to capture a thrilling 52-50 victory over the visiting Pirates in Villa Park.

"We have been working on game situations," said Willowbrook coach Tim Lavorato. "The kids did a nice job of handling the pressure. They made sharp passes and didn't play lazy. They put something on the ball against a quick Proviso team. Our fundamentals were key."

Early on it looked like the Warriors (7-5, 1-1) were going to roll. Behind 10 points from Reid, Willowbrook surged to a 16-6 lead late in the first quarter. Near the end of the quarter, Reid got scratched on his left wrist, which is his shooting hand. He had to have it taped and it took a little while to get used to it. Other players such as forward Graham Olatunji stepped up.

The Warriors held a 26-22 advantage at halftime, but in the third quarter it was Proviso East's time to turn the tables. Behind the outside shooting of guard Rishaad Alexander and inside play of center Lorenzo Little, the Pirates (5-8, 2-2) quieted the home crowd. Little's three-point play in the paint gave Proviso East a 39-34 lead with 1:17 left in the third quarter.

The team traded jabs in the fourth quarter. Willowbrook got back the lead 43-41 on a three-point play by Olatunji after he made a shot driving to the hoop and was fouled. He scored 9 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter. Little tied it though on a post move of his own.

But an inside move by Olatunji with four minutes to play gave the Warriors a lead they would never lose.

"Graham has been playing like that the past five or six games," Lavorato said. "He really competes hard. He gives us a lot on the defensive end. Right now his offensive game has developed. He has given us a lot on both sides of the court right now."

Willowbrook did an excellent job in the waning moments by spreading out the floor and working time off the clock. Forward Kyler Market made a pair of clutch free throws and Reid made a big free throw with 12.5 seconds left. Both Market and Reid finished with a team-high 16 points.

"Even though we had good plays and bad plays, we kept our composure," Reid said. "We played through it."

Proviso East was led by 17 points from Little.

"We are not doing what we want to do," said Pirates coach David Chatman. "We are not executing."