HINSDALE CENTRAL HOLIDAY CLASSIC

HC SQUARED:  Building a New Tradition of Basketball at Its Best
 

2019 GAME 11 RECAP: T.F. SOUTH 55, WILLOWBROOK 54

Box Score

HINSDALE, Ill. – Elijah Watson hit the game-winning layup with two seconds remaining to lead T.F. South to a 55-54 win over Willowbrook and into the consolation bracket semifinals of the 2019 Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic.

Willowbrook (4-7) scored the game’s first eight points to build an early lead, but T.F. South (6-6) responded by closing the quarter on a 17-0 run to take a 17-9 lead into the second. The Rebels lead was cut to seven (32-25) at halftime. Trailing by seven with 5:30 left in the third, Willowbrook ripped off a 9-1 run to take a 40-39 lead with 3:25 left.

The lead would change hands six times in the fourth quarter as neither team led by more than three points. Willowbrook moved in front 54-53 with 1:29 remaining on a Deandre Holliday layup, but the Warriors missed the front end of a one-and-one giving T.F. South the ball down by just a point. After a foul, the Rebels inbounded to Watson and Watson delivered the game-winning bucket with two seconds left to move the Rebels into the consolation semifinals.

Both teams shot an identical 41.1 percent from the floor as each squad hit 23-of-56 attempts. T.F. South shot 23.5 percent (4-of-17) from downtown while Willowbrook hit 8-of-25 attempts (32.0 percent) from beyond the arc. T.F. South controlled the action inside, outscoring Willowbrook 36-28 in the pain and owning a 41-29 edge on the glass.

Watson led T.F. South in the win with 17 points and eight rebounds. Isaiah Leis added 16 points and six boards while Xavier Lewis finished one-point shy of a double-double, totaling nine points and a game-best 14 rebounds.

Everett Stubblefield paced Willowbrook with 30 points, shooting 12-of-24 from the floor. Sam Tumilty added 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the loss.

T.F. South will take on the winner of the Richards/Hinsdale Central in tomorrow’s consolation bracket semifinal at 2:00 p.m. Willowbrook will face the loser of the Richards/Hinsdale Central game tomorrow at 11:00 a.m.