Waubonsie Valley junior Tyreek Coleman is tired of hearing that his team is undefeated because it hasn’t played a challenging schedule.
“We hear the chatter,” Coleman said. “People were wondering if we could get it done and continue the streak against a tough team. I know me and my guys are going to get it done.”
Coleman elevated his play to a new high on Saturday at Wheaton-Warrenville South, scoring 18 points and grabbing four steals to lead the No. 12 Warriors to a 40-38 win against Normal.
“Coleman had a special game,” Waubonsie Valley coach Andrew Schweitzer said. “He really stole the show at moments out there. Clutch baskets.”
Normal (17-2) is one of the state’s best teams. The Ironmen entered on a 10-game winning streak. Their last loss was against Thornton on Dec. 16.
“It was a high-stakes game,” Coleman said. “They talk about strength of schedule but it is all chats. We hear the chatter and we went out there and got a statement win. We let them know we are a top team in the state and we can battle with anyone you throw at us. We showcased that tonight.”
Normal’s starting lineup features 6-10 senior Jaheem Webber, 6-8 senior Noah Cleveland and Craig Newsome, a 6-6 senior. That size led to a 17-6 rebounding advantage for the Ironmen in the first half.
But 6-3 Matt Sessom (five rebounds) and 6-6 Cade Valek (four rebounds) battled in the second half for Waubonsie Valley (17-0) and evened out the rebounding at 10-10 over the last two quarters.
“It was tiring,” Sessom said. “We had to work very hard. I just played with a whole bunch of heart. Everybody wanted it.”
The Warriors’ 1-3-1 defense caused Normal fits, leading to 21 turnovers.
“I told them it would be the toughest night we had all year,” Schweitzer said. “The constantly fought for positioning. It was just a complete team effort. We were able to turn them over and take advantage of some mismatches offensively.”
Normal led 24-21 at halftime and baskets were rare in the second half. Coleman scored two of Waubonsie Valley’s three field goals in the fourth quarter and assisted the other.
“We knew, on ball defense, that they couldn’t mess with us in the full court,” Coleman said.
The Ironmen had two shots to tie or win the game on their final possession, but both missed.
Cleveland led Normal with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Newsome and 6-4 senior Braylon Roman each scored 10 points.
