LANSING | For two quarters, T.F. South hung tough with Crete-Monee, fighting tooth and nail to prevent the Warriors from taking a big lead.
That all changed in the third quarter when the Warriors utilized a full court trap defense, reaping the benefits of several turnovers to outscore the Rebels 22-11 that quarter en route to a 72-63 victory.
"We got hot and we put the trap on and caused them some problems," Crete-Monee coach Tom Cappel said. "When we play hard defensively, we're a pretty good team."
No one on the Warriors had a hotter offensive game than Laquon Treadwell, who shot 10-for-17 overall, including 5-for-7 from the 3-point line to finish with 25 points and 10 rebounds.
"I haven't shot like that all season," Treadwell said. "Coach told me to keep shooting. When you're hot, you're hot. Shots continued to fall. We just wanted to finish the game out strong, something we haven't done all year."
It wasn't just Treadwell who had a strong game for the Warriors (17-6). Mark Conner added 17 points, while Marvie Keith chipped in 14 points as the trio of playmakers provided the bulk of Crete-Monee's offense.
The third quarter has been the story of T.F. South's season, according to coach John O'Rourke.
"Turnovers and parts of a quarter where we lose focus ultimately determines the outcome of a game," he said. "We didn't handle the pressure well tonight, and it cost us. Between Keith, Conner and Treadwell, they can definitely get the ball up the floor."
The loss overshadowed the great game Kenny Doss put forth for T.F. South (10-14).
Doss scored 30 points, including 11 in the first quarter when the Rebels were up 14-12.
"He's someone that we look to to step up and score on the floor," O'Rourke said. "Kenny's been consistently scoring in the 20's and teens. He can flat out score. He's one of the best scorers I've ever coached."
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