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JOSH COMES THROUGH: Williams Paces Norse
 Click the thumbnails to see photos, and to hear post-game comments from Josh Williams and Will Kelley. Also click the AUDIO button to hear Drake Johnson's player spotlight interview.
With top guards Ryan Sweeney, Nic Williams, and Kaire Gadson unable to play on this three-game road trip, the Norse got career nights from Josh Williams and Will Kelley to help Bay post a hard-earned 81-76 win over the Owls in suburban Chicago.
 Josh Williams scored 32 points and Kelley added 15 points as the 19th-ranked Norse won their second game on this trip, and improved their overall record to 7-2 on the season.
“I knew it was going to be a battle,” Norse Coach Matt Johnson said. “Oakton is much better than they have been. They're talented, well-coached, and they play incredibly hard. And we didn't play particularly well at times. We played great in stretches. Josh Williams played great for most of the night. But we, as a group, didn't play good enough. But we did play good enough to get a 'W'.”
It was certainly not an easy win, even though the Norse jumped to an 8-0 lead when Zavier Hayes, who was also sick and played sparingly, nailed a triple to finish that early-game run. Oakton, however, behind aggressive play from Isaiah Moore and Yann Kouotou, turned the game around, as the two combined to score 15 points as the Owls grabbed the lead.
Oakton led, 18-12, finishing an 18-4 run, before Josh Williams got started what would be a special night. He nailed a triple to help Bay regain a 27-26 lead, and then after a Kouotou basket, Wlliams scored again, this time by attacking the paint, and Bay led, 29-28, with 3:55 left in the half.
 But the Owls scored seven straight points, with baskets by Lennox Monroe and by Moore, to go in front of the Norse, 37-31, late in the half.
“Shots were falling for me today,” Williams said. “My teammates were finding me in the lane. I just used my strength and ability to put the ball in the hoop.”
Also helping to keep the Owls at bay: Kelley.
“My job was to get into the game and bring energy,” Kelley said. “Not even offensively, but defensively. Just picking up full court, making the guy move, that's really it. It felt really good. I really haven't shot the best in the first stretch of games. So, to come out and go three-for-three, it felt really good. My job defensively was to just disrupt them. Put the ball pressure on so they couldn't make easy passes.”
Still, the Norse struggled on defense and the Owls did not give up. Amare Posey drained four long triples, from around the volleyball line on the court, and Kouotou kept driving to the basket for 13 second half points, seven of them at the foul line that put points on the board with the clock stopped.
 Bay's lead was down to 75-72 before Tre Sanigar came through with the dagger: a long triple as the shot clock expired with 1:55 left to make it a 78-72 game. The Norse salted the game away with Kelley at the free throw line, and better defense, in the final minute, to escape with the win.
As for Williams, 32 points in this college game, when his team needed it the most, was a dream. And he did against guys who were taller than him in the paint.
“Most guys, you can tell at the start of the game if they're going to be jumpers and shot-blockers,” Williams said. “I kind of figured that out at the start. I could fake, get a foul, and go to the line and get some free throws. I shot a lot of free throws tonight (13-of-17, after missing six of his first eight). It's been a while. I mean, last year, at my first school, I didn't really get a chance to play. Coach Johnson has blessed me and gave me the minutes I feel I've worked for.”
Oakton (5-6) had four players score in double figures: Kouotou with 19, Posey with 18, Moore with 14, and Monroe with ten. The Norse, besides Willaims' 32 points and Kelley's 15, got nine points from Joe Ofori and eight from D'Marco Chelley.
The Norse will wrap up this roadtrip on Saturday with a game at McHenry College. Game time is set for 4:00 ET/3:00 CT.  |
