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Downers Grove South stops Willowbrook

When you're playing the defending conference champion on its court, an early lead can do wonders.

Despite struggling with its shooting in the first half, Downers Grove South took a 43-31 West Suburban Gold girls basketball victory Tuesday night at Willowbrook.

"They won conference last year and we knew going into this game it was going to be a battle," Mustangs coach Lyndsie Long said, "but I knew ... if we did our part on defense, our offense would step it up."

The Mustangs made just 4 of 23 first-half shots, but they led at halftime 17-11 because the Warriors (4-5, 1-2) made just 4 of 25. The Mustangs never trailed in the game.

"We don't play at the same pace that we played in the past, and today that pace kind of got to us, because we didn't make shots," Willowbrook coach Terry Harrell said. "The defense was fine, but you've got to make shots. We allowed their (2-3) zone to bother us, which we shouldn't."

The Mustangs (4-1, 2-0) stuck with what was working in the second half, continuing to frustrate the Warriors.

"We really have to play better against that type of zone, because that's typically what we see," Harrell said. "We see that all season. It's just a common 2-3. They did a little extra inside. They overshifted and double-teamed against Josie (Zabran) in the post every time we got to her side because they didn't want her to have the ball, understandably."

Zabran finished with a team-high 11 points and 10 rebounds, but much of that production came in the fourth quarter, when the Warriors cut the Mustangs' lead down from a game-high 17 points.

The Warriors switched to a matchup zone at halftime from a man-to-man defense, hoping to spark their offense. They forced more Downers Grove South turnovers and allowed fewer shots, but the Mustangs improved their shooting percentage, making 9 of 13 in the second half.

Senior Vashae Easley led the Mustangs with 20 points.

Follow Orrin on Twitter @Orrin_Schwarz

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