Taylor helps Glenbard West run away from WW South
Evan Taylor provided the kind of response needed to stem an offensive run by the opposition in a boys basketball game.
Taylor, a Glenbard West 6-foot-6 guard who has committed to Southern Illinois-Carbondale, had back-to-back three-point plays against Wheaton Warrenville South in the third quarter in nonconference action.
Moments earlier, the Tigers cut their one-time 14-point deficit to a mere point.
But the Taylor scores and conversions from the free-throw line were the centerpiece of the Hilltoppers scoring the final 14 points of the quarter.
Glenbard West did not miss a single one of its 13 fourth-quarter free-throw attempts to secure the 55-45 victory.
With Glenbard West leading 30-25 midway through the third quarter, the Hilltoppers' Corey Williams missed the second of two free throws.
Taylor, however, made a darting move to secure the rebound and was fouled in heavy traffic while finishing the putback.
The 4-point possession only fueled Taylor, who had another driving score while getting hacked on the ensuing time down court.
"I think those (three-point plays) were being aggressive and not giving up on offensive rebounds," said Taylor, who finished with a team-high 17 points while also hauling down 9 rebounds. "I just wanted to get that to give us a spark. It gave us a spark for the rest of the game."
Glenbard West freshman sixth man Braden Huff polished off the Hilltoppers' 14-0 quarter-closing burst with consecutive scores to give the Hilltoppers a 40-25 lead heading into the fourth.
Glenbard West scored 16 of the first 19 points of the contest as the Tigers' Owen Stuebing, who matched Taylor for game-scoring honors with 17 points, had the lone WW South field goal - one of his five 3-pointers - in the first.
"We weren't very good defensively in the first quarter," WW South coach Mike Healy said.
WW South (4-2) didn't convert a single conventional field goal in the opening half. The Tigers finished 10 for 27 from beyond the arc and 4 of 12 from inside the 3-point line.
But Glenbard West (6-1), which led 26-15 at the break, suddenly saw its game-long extended cushion shrunk to 26-25 when WW South scored all four of its 2-point field goals in as many consecutive possessions.
Glenbard West, though, stymied the comeback bid with not only the 14-0 run but also perfect shooting from the foul line in the last quarter.
"(Taylor is) kind of the engine for this team," said Glenbard West senior post Caden Phillips, who had 8 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
Griffin Foster added 11 points for Glenbard West. Jeff Kratz had the same total for WW South.
"We're making too many mistakes right now," Healy said.