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Willowbrook tied for first in Gold

Every game takes Willowbrook's boys basketball team a little deeper into the record books.

Behind a 37-point effort from sophomore Alonzo Verge Jr., the Warriors notched their 13th straight victory with Saturday's 74-58 West Suburban Gold win at Downers Grove South.

Willowbrook (19-6, 7-3) - which now has avenged each of its Gold losses - has its most victories since last winning 20 games in 1972. And with Morton's loss to Leyden, the Warriors are tied for first in the league with two games to play.

If the Warriors beat Proviso East on Tuesday and Leyden on Friday, they're guaranteed at least a share of their first conference title in 43 years. Both games are at home.

"We've gained that chemistry with each other," said Verge, who scored 22 first-half points and knocked down all nine of his free-throw attempts on the night. "When we're up in a game we don't want to let down and let that other team get going."

A big difference between Saturday's win and the previous 12 was Willowbrook's ability to get a team down and keep it down. A 23-7 run spanning the first and second quarters gave the Warriors a 33-17 lead.

Downers South (5-21, 2-9) twice came within 8 points early in the fourth quarter, but Willowbrook answered with a 10-0 run to grab control for good.

"I don't think we had the best shot selection in the world and I thought their transition fed off it," said Downers South coach Kris Olson. "We have glimpses, but this was not a good one for us."

Verge was the star yet again for Willowbrook, but the Warriors also had a nice inside-out game going. Kevin Miller and Jake Bruns combined for five 3-pointers and 23 points while Kyle Rushing added 9 post points off the bench.

Downers South struggled to overcome 15 turnovers and numerous missed shots under the basket. Sophomore Denis Alibegovic led the Mustangs with 14 points while Mantas Augustinavicius had 13 points and Sam Ebersold 11 points.

"Our other guys are making big shots for us, and we're able to sustain the momentum," said Warriors coach Chris Perkins. "Most of our wins have been close, so we have that experience. The next step to being a good team is to put teams away when you have them on the ropes."

Follow Kevin on Twitter @kevin_schmit

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