The fourth quarter could be used as an instructional video on turning defense into offense.
Proviso East protected the ball as well as the Pirates took it away.
Antonio Williams excelled at stealing the ball, securing it and scoring Friday night as Proviso East overcame three largely lackluster quarters to rally for a 54-46 victory over Hinsdale South in Maywood.
Williams scored 12 of his 25 points, recorded four of his six steals and blocked a shot in the fourth quarter. The Pirates (7-5, 3-1 West Suburban Gold) used their speed and athleticism to neutralize 6-foot-10 Northwestern recruit Barret Benson and finish the game with an 18-5 run.
“I love to play defense,” said Williams, an explosively athletic 6-foot guard. “Sometimes on offense, you can’t get your buckets, but if you play defense it can lead to offense. That is our best offense.”
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Hinsdale South (11-4, 3-2) scored the first bucket of the fourth quarter to take a 41-36 lead before the game took a drastic turn.
Almost all of Proviso East’s 18 fourth-quarter points originated from steals or blocked shots. The only half-court offense the Pirates generated in the period came after holding the ball for nearly two minutes — a pair of free throws by Tyler Chisom that gave Proviso a 46-43 lead with 2 minutes left
Williams had a pair of massive two-handed dunks in the flurry and a breathtaking coast-to-coast layup that gave Proviso the lead for good at 44-43. Willie Greenwood and Raishon Alexander made multiple defensive plays to ignite the fast break.
“We tried to wear them down, tried to push the ball before they got set up in their zone, before Barret gets down there,” Proviso East coach Cedric McCullough said. “You know he’s going to guard the rim well. We knew he was going to be a tough match.
“The fans didn’t like when we held the ball up one, but we wanted them to come out of their zone.”
Mike Helfgot is a freelance reporter for baiduhai.
Player of the game: Antonio Williams, Proviso East, 25 points, 7 rebounds, 6 steals, 3 3-pointers.
Key performers: Hinsdale South — Barret Benson, 11 points, 10 rebounds. Proviso East — Willie Greenwood, 12 points, 3 blocks.