Dwayne Rose and Jeremiah Matthews pointed to the same thing Tuesday night following Crete-Monee’s thrilling 78-74 victory in double overtime over visiting Thornridge.
Defense.
In a run-and-gun type of game that saw Rose deliver 27 points and Matthews 25, the Warriors’ leading scorers realized where their bread was ultimately buttered.
“It was definitely the defense,” Matthews said. “We’re a scoring team. Sometimes for the defense, we move a little slow on rotations, so we have to talk more.”
“The pressure got to them a little bit,” Rose said. “We hadn’t pressured them the whole game, so in overtime we decided to get up on them and force them to throw the ball away.”
Crete-Monee (5-2) trailed by as much as 11 in a wild game that featured 16 lead changes. Rose scored nine points in a stellar fourth quarter, but missed two free throws with 3.7 seconds left.
In the second OT, Rose shot 4-for-6 on free throws and Matthews hit a decisive 3-pointer, his fifth of the game, to turn the tide after Thornridge took a 69-67 lead on a basket from Oliver McCall.
McCall finished with 21 points and Demetri Woods had 15 for Thornridge (1-5), which was coming off an upset victory Friday over Bradley. Marquise Moore added 12 points and 15 rebounds.
“It was just a couple bad passes,” said Thornridge coach Todd Gillespie, who’s filling in as Rocky Hill recovers from surgery. “Quick shots. All those little things play a factor in the closing moments.
“We have a lot of talented players here, and they’re buying into the system. We’re really proud of how they played.”
Crete-Monee coach Tom Cappel, who coached Gillespie at Hillcrest, thought the Falcons were much improved after the Warriors claimed a 15-point victory on opening night against Thornridge.
“We beat them pretty easily three weeks ago, and I think we took them lightly,” Cappel said. “That’s definitely a different looking team than we saw.”
Crete-Monee was at its best when sharing the ball. Rose dished four assists and threw down a dunk on a nice feed from Matthews to tie it at 63 with two minutes remaining in the fourth.
“That’s when we’re at out best,” said Rose, a nephew to Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose. “Pushing it and distributing it to the open man.”
Matthews said the victory was extra special because the seniors had never lost at home.
“When we rotate and move the ball, that’s our game,” Matthews said. “I never doubted my team. I know eventually they’re going to work me the ball, because they know I can hit the three.”
Reavis 63, Oak Forest 38: Isiah Alpuche (25 points) lifted Reavis (4-2, 1-0 SSC Red).
Lincoln-Way East 54, Romeoville 52: Kyle McDermed put in 24 points for Lincoln-Way East (3-2).
T.F. South 63, Evergreen Park 51: Brandon Johnson (10 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocked shots) starred for T.F. South (4-2, 2-0 SSC Blue).
Ag. Science 36, Fenger 34: Ryan Trinley contributed 13 points for Ag. Science (1-4, 1-0 Public Blue-South).
Illinois Lutheran 55, Grant Park 49: Evan Falk (19 points) steered Illinois Lutheran (2-0, 1-0 RVC).
Oak Park-River Forest 51, Brother Rice 37: Josh Niego had 14 points for Brother Rice (4-3).
Gardner-South Wilmington 49, Beecher 45: Jarod Stolzenbach (19 points) led Beecher (2-5, 1-1 RVC).
Bishop Noll (Ind.) 67, Illiana Christian 58: Matt Zandstra scored 17 points for Illiana (6-1).
Argo 59, Lemont 51: Marcus Fry (20 points) paced Argo (5-2, 2-0 SSC Red).
T.F. North 82, Oak Lawn 70: Michael Williams poured in 25 points for T.F. North (3-0, 2-0 SSC Blue).
Tinley Park 62, Shepard 50: Dwayne Lewis (12 points) paced Tinley (1-6, 1-1 SSC Blue).
Stagg 52, Addison Trail 38: John Contant (23 points) elevated Stagg (5-1).
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Eisenhower 61, Bremen 49: Lorenzo Smith and Demariae Collins had 16 points apiece for Eisenhower (4-3, 1-1 SSC Red).
Plainfield East 59, Providence 38: Jake Schutter (9 points) led Providence (1-5).
Rich East 76, Carver 67: Ron Bonner (30 points) carried Rich East (4-3).
Girls Basketball
Morgan Park Academy 71, Elgin Academy 18: Isis Rodriguez (31 points) led MPA (7-2, 2-0 ISL), which gave coach Tom Drahozal his 400th career victory.
Hillcrest 65, Richards 63: Jaila Cole-Clark (16 points) contributed a three-point play with 6.7 seconds left for Hillcrest (3-4, 2-0 SSC Blue).
Morgan Park 80, Brooks 44: Gabrielle Cooper (17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals) lifted Morgan Park (7-1, 2-0 Public Windy City South).
Lincoln-Way East 64, Joliet West 37: Claire McMahon had 21 points for Lincoln-Way East (5-1, 1-0 SWSC Blue).
Oak Lawn 43, T.F. North 40: Danielle Quigley (16 points) sparked Oak Lawn (3-5, 2-0 SSC Red).
Sandburg 31, Andrew 28: Jessica Merino (15 points) paced Sandburg (3-5).
Lincoln-Way West 59, Thornwood 28: Emily Atsinger (21 points) led West (7-1, 2-1 SWSC Red).
Bloom 74, Rich Central 38: Mikayah Sanders (25 points, 12 rebounds) powered Bloom (4-3, 1-0 Southland).
Argo 60, Lemont 48: Chatori Tyler (22 points) powered Argo (7-1, 2-0 SSC Red).
Queen of Peace 69, Bishop McNamara 38: Kara Shimko (23 points) propelled Peace (6-1, 2-1 GCAC White).
Oak Forest 57, Reavis 39: Taylor Sterkowitz and Sabrina Baxa (14 points each) led Oak Forest (6-1, 2-0 SSC Blue).
Evergreen Park 45, T.F. South 24: Samaria Jones-Tinsley had 17 points for Evergreen (6-5, 1-1 SSC Red).
Bremen 37, Eisenhower 17: Annie Holder (11 points) led Bremen (4-4, 2-0 SSC Blue).
Local College Basketball
South Suburban, St. Xavier top rankings: South Suburban (12-0) is ranked No. 1 in the latest NJCAA Division II men’s basketball poll, which was released Tuesday. St. Xavier’s women’s team (10-0) captured the top spot in NAIA Division II for the first time in school history.
Logan Malloy is a freelance writer for the Daily Southtown. Freelance writer Josh Krockey contributed to this story.