Westinghouse coach Chris Head didn’t necessarily call it a message, but the entire Public League should nonetheless take heed: The two-time defending Red West champion Warriors are alive and well, despite being overlooked by many.
Just ask No. 2 Crane, which got upended 58-55 in its Red West opener Monday at Westinghouse, less than 48 hours after the Cougars had won the Chicago Board of Education Invitational championship.
“That was the best game we played all year,” said Head, who was without two starters, Darius Glover and Clide Crosby, both nursing injuries. “It was one of the top five games in 14 years I’ve been coaching. I don’t really care about rankings. We want to earn that respect.”
Westinghouse (9-4) certainly earned respect, especially after shutting down all-everything guard Will Bynum in the second half and erasing a two-point deficit in the final 37 seconds.
After Crane (9-2) took a 55-53 lead on a pair of Tremel Gilot free throws, Westinghouse’s Randon Williams split two free throws nine seconds later. Then, as Gilot brought the ball up, he slipped and was called for traveling.
On the ensuing inbound play, Joe Gathings (nine points) got inside and converted a layup. The Warriors sealed the victory when Williams stole the ball from Bynum and went in for a layup at the buzzer as the packed crowd rushed the court in celebration.
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Westinghouse, which led 32-29 at halftime, clamped down on Bynum in the second half, employing a box-and-one defense. Bynum, who scored 13 in the first half, had only four in the final two quarters. The Arizona signee shot 6-of-22 from the floor.
Westinghouse point guard Jamal Brown, who led his team with 17 points, held Bynum to no field goals in the fourth quarter and limited him to only six shots in the second half.
“Will is a great player,” said Brown, who had seven points in the fourth quarter. “He’s a Division I player. I just wanted to show I’m a Division I player too, even though I’m only a junior.”
Richard Russell scored 10 of his 15 points in the first quarter for Westinghouse, and Jamal Washington had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Williams scored all four of his points in the final 43 seconds of the game.
“If you overlook anybody in the Red West then you’re going to be in trouble,” said Crane coach Anthony Longstreet.
Gilot added 15 points, including going 6-for-6 at the free-throw line in the fourth quarter.
Sean Duncan.
Farragut 66, Young 64 (OT): Elliott Poole scored 22 points for No. 4 Farragut, including the overtime-forcing jumper with 12.7 seconds left in regulation and a tip-in over a Young defender with 1.7 seconds left in overtime for the Red West win. Farragut (9-2, 1-0) rallied from an eight-point deficit after three quarters, opening the final stanza with an 8-0 run behind Poole’s four points.
Daniel James added 16 points for Farragut. Chris Hills and DeWitt Scott scored 11 points each to lead Young (3-7, 0-1). ,
Marshall 83, Manley 72: No. 5 Marshall overcame a nine-point halftime deficit to win its Red West opener. Kelly Whitney finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, and Justin Bowen and Quinton Gibson contributed 19 and 17 points, respectively, for the Commandos (13-2, 1-0). Luther Head collected 25 points, seven rebounds and four steals to lead No. 17 Manley (10-7, 0-1).
Carver 112, Bowen 39: Demetrius Coley scored 24 points and dished out 10 assists to lead No. 10 Carver (10-2, 1-0) to the Public Red South win.
Julian 76, Chicago Vocational 53: No. 19 Julian took a 21-9 lead after the first quarter in the Public Red South opener. Anton Palmer led the way for Julian (9-5, 1-0) with 21 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocked shots, while Sean Dockery added 18 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and six steals. Marcus Johnson’s 16 points led Vocational (10-5, 0-1).
Corliss 51, South Shore 39: Nillion Rankin scored 19 points for Corliss (6-7, 1-0) in the Blue South.
Fenger 68, Hirsch 55: Jovan Armstrong’s 15 points led a balanced Fenger (12-6, 1-0) attack as four Titans scored in double figures in the Blue South win.
Harlan 76, Hyde Park 67: Chris Lawson put in 21 points and Terrence Gladney added 17 to lead Harlan (10-2, 1-0) in the Blue West.
North Chicago 62, St. Viator 57: Devaunn Johnson’s 23 points lifted North Chicago (8-7) in a non-conference game. Justin Funk had 16 points to lead St. Viator (13-2).
Westmont 56, Sycamore 55: Pierre Pierce scored 41 points for Westmont (13-2, 8-0) to become the school’s career scoring leader in the narrow Suburban Prairie White win. Pierce hit a three-pointer to give Westmont its first lead at 53-52 with 3:30 left in the game. Justin Wilson scored 16 points for Sycamore (10-5, 5-2).