Junior forward Isaac Willis was in fifth grade in 2020 when the Indian Creek boys basketball team made it to the supersectional for the first time in program history.
He watched from the stands. Before the games, he would high-five the players and coaches from that historic team. His excitement ramped up watching that team game after game.
“Believe it or not, that year my dad and Parker Murry’s dad talked about how one day we could be in this position,” Willis said. “They told us we had to work hard and we did it. We got here.”
Those fathers knew best.
Willis came through with 16 points and nine rebounds Monday night, but the Timberwolves dropped a 45-31 decision to Marshall in the Class 1A Joliet Central Supersectional.
Murry added eight points and six rebounds for Indian Creek (27-7).
Amari Kennedy and Edward Humes scored 11 points apiece for Marshall (22-10), which advanced to play Lanark Eastland (32-5) at 11:45 a.m. Thursday in the state semifinals at the State Farm Center in Champaign.
Monday night, however, scoring didn’t come easy for the Timberwolves, who were held to a season low in points. Scoring wasn’t easy either for Willis, who was beat up on almost every shot.
“He’s tough and hard-nosed,” Indian Creek coach Nolan Govig said of Willis. “He’s very, very physical and a very strong kid. He puts his head down and moves to the basket.
“He’s been doing a good job of that all year.”
The 6-foot-3 Willis scored 10 points in the first half as Indian Creek trailed 23-15.
“He has a lot of good weapons for us,” Murry said of Willis. “He gives us a lot of momentum. We wouldn’t be here without him. It was physical, and he’s a big boy and can take it.
“That’s how it is when you are playing a big Chicago school. We knew what we were getting into.”
Willis wasn’t complaining about getting double and sometimes triple-teamed inside.
“Being a post guy, I feel like I get hit more than most,” he said. “I thought the refs called a good game. Marshall is physical and did what they were supposed to. You have to tip your cap to them.”
Willis has been on the varsity all three seasons, and Govig understood what he was getting when Willis walked into Indian Creek for the first time.
“We knew about him,” Govig said of Willis. “The kids in middle school had an unbeaten team. We had heard about him for many years.
“The last three years, he’s hit the weights really hard. He has the strength to battle against bigger kids. He’s also in the gym working on his post moves a lot. That’s been very evident.”
Willis, a three-sport athlete, plays defender in soccer and throws the discus in the spring. He finished 10th in the state for the discus in Class 1A as a freshman and fifth as a sophomore.
Dartmouth has been taking a look at him.
“I’ve talked to some coaches,” Willis said. “I’m thinking of majoring in in engineering and it might be too much (to play a sport). But I’ll keep my options open. I love all sports.”
Still, Willis has some time left to keep making his mark at Indian Creek.
With several key underclassmen coming back and the Timberwolves getting a taste of playing in the supersectional again, could this be the start of something big?
“I think it is,” Willis said. “With coach Govig, anything is possible. He’s a really good coach and brings out the best in our guys. I like the future of our program.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
