Lyons        70
Willowbrook 51
Win or lose, which the Lyons Township boys basketball team has done equal amounts of this season, head coach Tom Sloan feels his team has developed a useful thick skin.
The Lions’ mental toughness certainly came in handy over the weekend as they shrugged off a disappointing 55-51 home loss to Oak Park on Friday night to rebound with a 70-63 victory at Willowbrook the following evening.
“Our players have a pretty thick skin,” Sloan said. “It was good to see the kids bounce back [after OPRF loss]. We learn from losses but we don’t dwell on them. From start to finish, I thought [Willowbrook] was one of our best games of the season.”
Kevin Muldowney scored 20 points, and went 10-for-10 from the free-throw line. Mike Stanton (7-of-9 field goals) added 16 points and eight rebounds to power the Lions. Colin Allodi (9 points, 6 assists) and Justin Phipps (9 points) also contributed.
The Lions (12-12) weren’t as fortunate against conference rival Oak Park on Friday night. Leading 47-45 with 4:36 remaining, the Huskies pulled out another typically tight battle against the host Lions as John Weinheimer scored seven consecutive points down the stretch.
“We could have executed a little better down the stretch, but we found a way to grind it out,” Oak Park head coach Matt Maloney said. “I thought John (Weinheimer) made some huge plays for us.”
Along with a clutch corner three and a free throw, Weinheimer made the play of the game on a critical three-point play inside to put the Huskies up 54-50 with 33 seconds remaining.
“We tried to work the ball around for a good shot,” Weinheimer said. “When I got the pass from Andrew [Godbold], I just wanted to go up strong.”
In the early going, the Lions (4-7 West Suburban Silver Conference) enjoyed all the momentum, taking a 16-5 lead at the end of the first quarter. Muldowney (13 points) and Phipps (15 points) triggered LT’s run with eight points and six points, respectively, in the quarter.
The Huskies (13-12, 6-5) responded with a 14-5 run of their own to whittle the deficit to 21-19 at the five-minute mark of the second quarter.
Lyons maintained a slim 28-27 lead at halftime, but Oak Park guard De’Angelo Speech authored a full-court foray for two to give the Huskies their first lead at 29-28 to open the second half.
Lyons netted the final five points of the period on a trey by sharpshooter Austin Lusson and a tip-in at the buzzer by Stanton to regain a 38-37 edge. The Lions kept the score close in the fourth quarter, but committed too many turnovers against the Huskies’ customary defensive pressure.
“If we took better care of the basketball, we would have had a good chance to win the game,” Sloan said. “Even with our turnovers, it was anybody’s game with 30 seconds left.”