Shorthanded Willowbrook makes Glenbard South work for win
Glenbard South coach Julie Fonda couldn't quite explain what seemed to be missing on Tuesday night, but she and her Raiders will surely take a girls basketball win any night.
With a nonconference battle against a visiting Willowbrook team minus two starters out sick, the Raiders improved to 12-3 on the year with a 52-39 victory. But Glenbard South led just 39-35 after three quarters and couldn't shake the Warriors until the final five minutes.
“Willowbrook came in with some energy and there was something missing for us the whole game,” said Fonda, whose team held slight leads after each of the first three quarters. “There was something missing tonight and I can't really put my finger on it.”
But what was present was the Raiders' usual strong play on defense, especially in the second half when they cooled off the Warriors' Josie Zabran, who used a variety of post moves to tally 16 points in the first half.
“That's what did it for us tonight, and that's what does it for us most nights,” Fonda said about the Raiders' defense. “(Zabran) had a great first half. We talked about her at halftime and we keyed on her and we were able to hold her to two points in the second half.
“She's a baller. She definitely has a nose for the ball, and she's not going to be outworked for the ball. She's a cool kid to watch play.”
Glenbard South countered with a balanced attack and a steady defensive effort. Alex LaPonte scored a team-high 10 points as Glenbard South led 29-25 at halftime and then finished the game with 14 points and 5 rebounds. Center Sydney Bauman had 15 points and 11 rebounds despite picking up two fouls in the first quarter.
“I've been working a lot on driving and stuff and my teammates gave me a lot of good passes and a lot of good opportunities,” said LaPonte, who had a putback and a driving basket in the first quarter, which ended with the hosts up 16-15. “With us it's always someone different. It depends on who's having good games … if someone is having a real good game we try and get them the ball more.”
The Warriors (8-10), who were missing guard Breona Brown and forward Alyssa Ressinger, struggled from the outside and seemed to tire down the stretch as the Raiders used a 13-4 advantage in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.
“We're shorthanded so we got a little tired,” Willowbrook coach Terry Harrell said. “But we had a hard time putting the ball in the basket. We got shots and we pressured them. The girls played well, but we just didn't make shots tonight.”
Fonda told her players afterward that it was nice to come away with a win, but that they need to be a little sharper as the season progresses.
“There were points in the game where I looked up and was like, Wow, it's only a 2-point game, and it felt like we were up more,” she said. “It was just a goofy game and I'm happy to walk away with a win. I told them we survived tonight, so they can be happy with that, but they can't be satisfied.”