Boys Basketball: Crete-Monee tops T.F. South

• Reprints

Updated: March 23, 2012 8:14AM

LaQuon Treadwell is the rarest of athletes. Not only does he excel in two sports but he has a knack for coming up big in crunch time, in both basketball and football.

The junior forward played strong on both ends of the floor and helped Crete-Monee down T.F. South 61-54 on Tuesday night, leading a second-half comeback.

Treadwell totaled 19 points and 11 rebounds for the game.

“He is such an athlete,’’ Crete-Monee coach Tom Cappel said. “He is a big-time football player, but he could play basketball in college if he wanted to.’’

Treadwell dominated the paint on both ends. It was his baskets from the post that put the Warriors (17-7) ahead for good late in the third quarter. Treadwell converted a three-point play to get the Warriors within a point, then made another post move to put Crete ahead for good at 39-38.

“Our offense comes when we play hard on defense,’’ Treadwell said. “We knew when we came into the locker room that we weren’t playing well.’’

The Rebels (14-10) used a second-quarter burst to jump ahead 27-23 at halftime. Paul Pierce keyed a 16-4 run with two treys and Mychelle Bullock chipped in five of his 11 points off the bench during that stretch. Meanwhile, the Warriors committed eight second-quarter turnovers.

“We looked sluggish and disinterested in the second quarter,’’ Cappel said. “We can’t do this now. We are getting down to crunch time.’’

Treadwell held Pierce to just two points in the second half. Treadwell blocked five shots for the game and altered a few others. Marvie Keith was 8-of-9 from the free-throw line in the second half to keep the Rebels at bay. Keith finished with 15 points.

“If a school offers to let me play both sports in college, I would go out for the basketball team,’’ Treadwell said. “I think that I could handle playing both sports.’’

Pierce finished with 11 points and Robert Ryan added 10 for the Rebels.