The Willow Springs Bears are one game away from reaching the Class 4 Final Four.
In sectionals, the Bears were led by Scottie Osborn. He’s been leading Willow Springs all season and is playing an important role on both sides of the ball.
However, shooting a basketball hasn’t always been Scottie Osborn’s strong suit.
“I couldn’t shoot a free throw my freshman year and all I did was shoot baskets,” Scottie said.
Being a four-year starter for Willow Springs he was determined to make a difference offensively.
“I had awful form so coach has trained me to have good form and now I can shoot little jumpers,” the Willow Springs senior added.
Scottie has more than 1,000 career points for the Bears, and has developed a skill set that makes him hard to guard.
“You look at him and he’s big and he’s thick, but he’s got great hands, great feet and he’s quick. People can’t stay in front of him because he can get around most people we play. Most people that we go up against have a hard, hard time guarding him,” Willow Springs head coach Mike Wilson said.
Despite his success offensively, Scottie’s focus is on stopping the other team’s offense.
“I think I’m better at defense than offense. I like getting rebounds, so I think that’s pretty good,” said Scottie.
That effort makes him the heart and soul of the Bears defense.
“He’s really, really athletic. Our defense is from him; if he wasn’t as good as he was up there we would have to do something different, but he’s so good up there,” said Wilson.
Scottie’s secret to a successful senior season is hard work, determination, and lots of fun.
“I’m having a blast, greatest year of my life right here,” he said.
Through the good times, Willow Springs is having an historic year and on to the state quarterfinals.
“I’m going to look back in 20 years and say ‘I did that my senior year’ because we haven’t done this since 2008 so I think it’s pretty cool,” said Scottie.
