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By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Crunch time became a free throw test for Daniel Abreu.
He passed, even though the results weren’t quite up to his high standards.
Abreu finished with a game-high 39 points, lifting Willard past a resilient Parkview squad 68-62 on Tuesday night.
The 6’6” senior forward went 21-for-26 (81 percent) at the free throw line overall, including 12-for-15 in the fourth quarter to help Willard prevail.
Ever the perfectionist, Abreu seemed bothered with the five misses.
“I’m kind of disappointed in my free throw abilities,” said Abreu, who’s signed to play at Northwest Missouri State next school year. “That’s something I’m constantly practicing. Last season, my free throw shooting was (better). I just need to find my rhythm again.”
Abreu had 26 points in the second half. His three-point play with 3:22 remaining gave Willard a 58-45 lead.
Parkview didn’t go down easily.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
The Vikings responded with six straight points, capped by an alley-oop dunk from junior forward Trevon Brazile.
Parkview got within six points on three occasions in the final 1:30 thanks to a full-court press that caused turnovers. Elijah Whitley’s 3-pointer with 13 seconds left got the Vikings (4-4 overall) within 66-62.
“We haven’t been in a lot of close games yet,” said Willard coach Jeremy Dresslaer. “We have new guard play. It was good for us to be in a game like that, win, and learn from it.”
Senior guard Dontae Taylor led Parkview with 24 points.
Foul trouble and defensive breakdowns hindered the Vikings. Parkview had four players finish with four or more personal fouls.
“We physically competed with Willard and played really hard, but we just didn’t play very smart,” said Parkview coach Landon Cornish. “We didn’t execute defensive game plans at all. We just ran around.
“We have to be better mentally.”
Said Dresslaer: “I felt like when we would get the ball into Daniel first, he was either going to score or get fouled.”
Senior guard Maurice Grayer added 17 points for Willard. No other Willard player scored more than five on the night.
“For us to take the next step, guys are going to have to move off (Abreu),” Dresslaer said. “When we’re throwing the ball into him, that’s a great opportunity for other guys to score.”
Grayer earned praise from his head coach for his all-around play.
“I was really proud of Mo tonight,” Dresslaer said. “This was a big maturing game for Mo. Normally, we have that 1-2 punch with him and Daniel. Tonight, he had to step back and play facilitator and rebounder. He did the dirty things not a lot of people want to do.
“It’s a huge testament to his maturity and buy-in. Maurice is probably the real MVP of the game.”
Parkview fell to 4-4 overall amid a challenging early season schedule that’s included two tournaments.
The slate doesn’t get any easier for the Vikings, who host Nixa on Thursday night before taking a three-week break for the holidays.
“We’re not trying to take moral victories,” Cornish said. “We need to start winning games.”
Willard faces Nevada on Saturday in a neutral-site game in Webb City.
After Thursday’s home game, Parkview won’t play again until Jan. 9 when it hosts Carthage.
Willard 68, Parkview 62
Willard 17 13 15 23 — 68
Parkview 14 11 15 22 — 62
Willard (6-1 overall) – Abreu 39, Grayer 17, Brown 5, Davis 4, Mowell 3
Parkview (4-4 overall) – Taylor 24, Whitley 17, Brazile 10, Johnson 8, Jackson 2, Green 1
