Glenbard South keeps resurgent run going with 3-point triumph at West Chicago

WEST CHICAGO – After a rough opening to the season, Glenbard South continued its ascent to the .500 mark Friday night.

Behind 20 points from Joey Villa, the visiting Raiders knocked off West Chicago 42-39 in an Upstate Eight matchup.

Now victorious in four of its last five games, Glenbard South (6-7, 2-3) was coming off a 3-1 showing at the Marengo Holiday Tournament.

“We started off with a really tough schedule,” said Villa, who has a couple offers to play football in college, “and we’ve got a pretty young team. But we continue to improve. Props to Coach for giving a chance to these young guys; as the season goes on our confidence will only grow as a team.

“We’ve been in some close games, and we’ve sometimes choked at the end. We went 9 of 10 as a team at the line. That usually does not happen. I have to thank our coach again for making us shoot free throws in practice. A couple weeks ago, we barely shot 20% from the free-throw line in a game. This shows the work we’ve put in and how much we have improved.”

Leading for the majority of the contest, the Raiders saw the host Wildcats (7-8, 1-5) take the lead twice late in the fourth quarter. But Will Sieck’s 3-pointer with 1:05 left proved to be the difference-maker that gave Glenbard South the lead for good at 38-36. The sophomore added a pair of free throws with 17.2 seconds remaining.

“I had been 0-for-2 shooting, but I knew that was going to be the shot,” Sieck said. “I was wide open, and I took it, and it went in. Then at the free-throw line, I was just trying to block out the noise. I knew I had to make those.

“We are getting better. We are giving more effort and playing together.”

Mitchell Erickson added seven points for Glenbard South, which led 17-7 in the second quarter before taking a 21-16 advantage into halftime.

“We were up 17-7, and then it was a slow grinding halt after that for us,” said Glenbard South coach Jason Mead, whose team lost their first three games of the season. “I would consider that to be a very weird game, a very strange game. It was very indicative of both teams not having a lot of practice time over the last week with the New Year and coming off the Christmas tournaments.

“We made just enough plays to win. They took the lead, and we hit our first 3 of the game. We have young guys. Out of our first 13 games, only four or five have been against 3A schools. Most have been against 4A schools. They are battling and fighting and playing hard.”

West Chicago also went 3-1 in their holiday event, placing third at the Elgin tournament. Marcus Brewell and Joseph Trigueros had 11 points apiece to lead the way.

Trigueros hit a trio of 3-pointers in the second half to help fuel the comeback, while Brewell’s jumper gave the Wildcats their first lead with 1:45 on the clock.

Ryan Slattery and Oliver Munoz added six points apiece.

“I think one big thing with our team, we have a younger team,” West Chicago coach Roy Ramos said, “and some of our guys don’t have a lot of varsity minutes. But it’s been exciting to see our progress throughout the season.

“We’ve been in a lot of close games, we just haven’t been able to get over the hump. We talked about, your hard work and dedication in the offseason doesn’t guarantee success, but it will give you a chance. And we’ve had a lot of chances to win games, and I’m proud of this group for that.

“They are a group that is very together and very tight-knit. They are fun to coach and be around.”