Sports
Analysis: Downers South's Emphasis on Defense Reaps Rewards Against North
The Mustangs' aggressive defense, led by guard Jerron Wilbut, has sparked the team to easy wins of late, including Saturday's 44-point rout of Downers North.
Downers Grove South’s emphasis on defense has been a major factor in the Mustangs’ 13-game winning streak to date.
“Really, the last few weeks we’ve put an emphasis on defense,” Mustangs coach Jay Baum said. “We want our defense to lead into our offense.”
The Mustangs put that into practice in . They forced 14 steals and more than 25 turnovers in the game. Mustangs guard Jerron Wilbut and forward Kevin Honn were particularly disruptive, combining for six steals.
Find out what's happening in Woodridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“We wanted to pick up intensity on defense,” Wilbut said. “We obviously have a lot of talent on offense, so we focus on our defense.”
The defense was aggressive in the halfcourt, keeping the Trojans scoreless for almost the entire first quarter while the offense exploded to a 16-0 lead. The Mustangs held the Trojans to a mere eight points in the entire first half, mixing man-to-man with their 2-3 zone, keeping the Trojans in a state of confusion throughout.
Find out what's happening in Woodridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“Our new motto is playing great defense,” guard Danielius Jurguitis said.
Wilbut by himself had more points than the entire Trojans team with 11 by halftime.
“One of the great things about (Jerron) is that he’s really bought into playing team defense,” Baum said. “He’s really played well the last six-eight weeks.”
The entire team appears to have bought into the system and the dividends have been noticeable in the last two games with a pair of 40-plus point victories over Willowbrook and rival Downers North.
Wilbut, who has had an up-and-down season because of undisclosed disciplinary issues, shone in a marquee rivalry matchup, helping turn the game into a rout almost before it began.
Stats Pack: The Trojans needed all game to catch up with the Mustangs’ opening 16-0 run. They finally eclipsed the mark after making a pair of free throws with 2:07 left in the fourth quarter.
Play of the Night: Wilbut’s final basket of the night was a one-handed reverse dunk on a breakaway. He sat the rest of the game afterward.
Tournament Seeding: The playoff seeding for the IHSA tournament will be announced Wednesday. “I’ll be happy with a two-seed,” Baum said.
Girls Basketball: The Lady Trojans pulled off a 47-45 upset win over the Lady Mustangs in the preceding game Saturday. The Mustangs missed three shots in the final 10 seconds. Allison Schuster led the Trojans with 18 points. Carly Saraceno led the Mustangs with 15.
