Birthday celebration
Senior guard Willis erupts for 20 points as Richards rolls past Eisenhower
Richards senior Sean Willis had more reasons than usual to celebrate his 18th birthday Friday.
The5-foot-9 point guard scored a team-high 20 points to lead Richards to an 87-50 South Suburban Red win over host Eisenhower.
“We had to get the ‘W’ on my birthday,” Wilis said. “It feels extra special. They (Eisenhower) were talking a lot of trash on social media.”
Willis shot 8-for-10 from the floor for Richards (13-6, 6-2), including three 3-pointers.
Four other Bulldogs reached double figures. Senior forward Trevon Jones scored 16 points, junior guard Paul Zilinskas had 13, senior forward Marquel Porter had 11 and senior guard Kajuan Wines added 10.
The Bulldogs shot 64 percent (31-for-48).
For Eisenhower (12-9, 2-6), senior forward Eddie Moore and junior forward Ken Holloway each had 11 points.
Willis had been bouncing between starting and coming off the bench.
In a nod to his team-first attitude, Willis doesn’t have a preference.
“I do whatever the team needs me to do,” Willis said. “I’m ready to produce eitherway.”
Richards coach Chris Passafiume has noticed a difference in Willis’ production since he’s settled in as a starter.
“He’s playing with a lot more confidence,” Passafiume said. “He’s playing a lot more relaxed and letting his abilities take over. He’s been a huge shot in the arm.”
Zilinskas said the Bulldogs are
much more dangerous when Willis shoots the ball like he did Friday.
“He’s been putting up great numbers,” Zilinskas said. “He’s been knocking down his shot. When he’s playing like that, it gives our opponents another player to focus on.”
Jones and Porter combined to score 17 points in the first quarter as Richards raced to a 23-14 lead.
The Cardinals closed to within 25-19 on a basket by Shamar Fuller and free throws by Keante Anderson.
That’s about the time Willis heated up. His backto- back 3- pointers extended the lead to 42-25, and the Bulldogs never trailed by less than 16 the rest of theway.
Willis is excited about the development of the Bulldogs.
“We feel like we can compete against any team,” he said. “I have to keep knocking down shots and getting my teammates involved. You can never be satisfied. There’s always roomfor improvement.”
Eisenhower coach Neil Miguez didn’t see this lopsided loss coming.
“We were trying to get the pace going and wear them down since they were a little shorthanded,” he said. “But they consistently beat us down the floor and player faster than us.
“We didn’t do anything defensively. Willis hit a couple of big 3s and we never got back in the game.”