Will Johnson likes where he is, but knows he has to go farther.
Johnson earned a spot on the all-tourney team as Sandburg finished runner-up in the Spartan-Ram Classic with a 53-41 loss to Crete-Monee in the title game on Nov. 29 at Oak Lawn.
“I shot the ball well,” said Johnson, a 6-2 junior who scored 15 points against Crete. “I was coming off screens and I was playing aggressively. I got to my spots and I was playing comfortably.
“Making the all-tournament team means a lot because this is my first year on varsity, but I have to improve a lot more too. I can’t stop improving.”
The Eagles (3-1) started well in the title game, limiting a bigger, stronger Crete-Monee team to many one-shot possessions, mostly from the perimeter.
The second half, however, was different. The Warriors (4-0) were able to get the ball inside much easier and use their height to their advantage.
Down 26-25 midway with 5:45 left in the third quarter, the Warriors went on a 21-2 run that lasted into the fourth.
All-tourney pick Malachi Perkins added nine points for the Eagles while Jonah Johnson chipped in eight.
“Their big guys are strong and they’re so physical,” Sandburg coach John Daniels said. “They had the size on us and that was the difference in the third quarter. And we missed free throws and if we make those, we’re chasing four (points) not 12.
“But the whole game matters. Crete-Monee is a good team and they’ve got big, strong kids. Their coach made a nice adjustment in the second half and they got the ball inside. I always want to give love to the other coaches when they deserve it.”
The Eagles drew as close as 49-39 after Connor Gleason banked in a 3-pointer from the right wing with 2:45 remaining. Gleason was fouled on the play but missed the free throw for a potential four-point play. As a team, Sandburg was 8 of 18 (44.4 percent) from the free-throw line for the game.
“Our kids are working hard and they’re learning,” Daniels said. “This loss is on me. Maybe I overcoached. I thought our defense was good and the kids did a really good job defensively and they played hard.”
In the third-place game, Oak Lawn defeated Reavis 83-39. Jack Dempsey paced all scorers with 18 points for the Spartans (3-1). Marc Harvey added 17 points while Ali Farhan contributed 11. Both Dempsey and Farhan were chosen to the all-tournament team for Oak Lawn.
Earning places on the All-Tournament Team for the Rams (2-2) were Yigit Akgunlu and DaMarion Dixon.
Kennedy (1-3) finished sixth after losing 46-32 to Ag. Science.