Willowbrook suffers slim loss to Sandburg
It was another tough setback for Willowbrook on Tuesday, and the Warriors have experienced more than their share of close losses already this season.
In Tuesday night's 51-50 loss at Sandburg, the 5-10 Warriors showed their usual strong flashes but unfortunately also saw an all-too-familiar result, a reachable victory slip away late. At various times in the ballgame, 6-foot-7 Sean Page was a force inside, guard Sam Tumilty sparked a tough defense while also draining a trio of 3-pointers. Talented shooting guard Everett Stubblefield heated up to tally 12 second-half points.
But the Warriors' 50-46 lead with two minutes left to play turned in to yet another punch to the gut after the host Eagles forced a late turnover and executed a great play for the eventual winning layup. Then Sandburg exhaled after Willowbrook missed a pair of free throws with the score 51-50 and just 0.7 seconds left on the clock.
"We've been playing pretty well. We just haven't been able to pull out games at the end," said Stubblefield, who scored 10 points in the fourth quarter as the visitors looked primed to leave town with a win. "In these close games we've just got to fight till the end and pull out some victories."
Sandburg (7-7) held small leads of 13-11 after one quarter and 28-24 at the half before Willowbrook started the second half with a 10-0 charge that included an 8-0 run in the first 53 seconds. Tumilty started the surge with a 3-pointer on the team's first possession, then Stubblefield hit a pair of free throws after he came away with a steal and was intentionally fouled.
When Isaac Gaines completed a three-point play moments later, Willowbrook was up 32-28 less than a minute into the second half. The 10-point swing was capped by a steal and fastbreak by Warriors forward Deandre Holliday.
"We started the third quarter on a great run. We just couldn't sustain it," Willowbrook coach Chris Perkins said. "That's been the story for us so far this year. A lot of little things at the end of tight games, that we haven't improved on yet. That's the rut we're in and trying to figure out."
The Eagles, who tallied more than half of their points on nine 3-pointers, made just enough big plays down the stretch to survive. After a driving basket by Stubblefield put the Warriors on top 50-46, Atharva Atreya answered with a three-point play for Sandburg to make it 50-49 with 1:49 to go.
Willowbrook then committed a costly turnover that allowed the hosts to set Atreya up for the winning basket, a reverse layup off a nice feed from Daryl Jackson. Two missed foul shots left the Warriors on the wrong end of yet another close one.
Page led Willowbrook with 14 points and 8 rebounds but was slowed by foul trouble after picking up his fourth whistle on the offensive end early in the fourth quarter. Tumilty finished with 11 points as three Warriors scored in double figures.