Howell’s 6-foot-6 Williams does it all in 1st-place showdown with Northville
Howell’s Lilly Williams registers one of her nine blocks during Friday night’s 51-33 win over Northville.
She runs the court with the fluidity of a 5-foot-6 point guard.
She knocks down free throws at such a high rate, don’t even think about deploying the Hack-A-Shaq strategy against her.
And her footwork in the paint is so advanced, her inside shots are money — whether she’s double-teamed (which she usually is) or not.
So, how are opponents supposed to defend Howell’s 6-foot-6 Lilly Williams, who has become the face of Michigan high school girls basketball since joining the Highlanders this season after being home-schooled the previous 12 years?
She hosts block parties
“We’ve seen it all this season,” Williams said, smiling, when asked about the variety of defensive set-ups she’s faced. “There have been times when I’ve just stood in the corner and the opponent puts two players on me. That’s great, because it creates a 4-on-3 for us and I trust my teammates.
(Check out a video of Lilly Williams completing a fastbreak against Northville by clicking here.)
“Our coaches do a great job of scouting our upcoming opponents and figuring out what kind of defense they’re going to play so we can focus on what we’re going to do offensively in the practices leading up to the game.”
Oh, and Williams is also a shot-swatting machine on defense, picking up nine blocks in Friday’s 51-33 victory at Northville — a game in which she led both teams with 24 points.
The Mustangs — who, like Howell, entered the much-anticipated contest with a 6-0 record in the KLAA West — led 12-9 after the first quarter thanks to a buzzer-beating three from emerging star Sophia Fraas (17 points).
(Watch a clip of Sophia Fraas’s buzzer-beating three by clicking here.)
Howell handled a great team in Northville
Prior to Friday night, Northville’s combined point differential in its three losses was just 16 points — and the Mustangs were riding a torrid six-game winning streak.
The Highlanders seized the momentum for good in the second quarter, which they opened with a 7-0 run to secure a 25-17 halftime edge.
A long trey by sophomore guard Lila Valentine 90 seconds into the second half extended Howell’s lead to 30-17 and it was never truly threatened thereafter.
“Lilly did a great job of running the court tonight and our guards did a great job of finding her,” said Howell Head Coach Jason Piepho. “I compare her to (former University of Michigan and NBA star) Chris Weber because she’s not only big, she’s fast and strong. She can hit threes and on defense, she controls the paint.
“Lilly is great, but the rest of our roster complements her a great deal. We have players like Gabby (Piepho) and Lila who can hit threes, so defenses can’t simply focus on stopping Lilly. And our guards do a great job of getting her the ball in the right spots.”
Hard work pays off
Williams, who drained 9-of-12 free throws Friday night, admitted moments after the game that she hasn’t always been the best free-throw shooter.
“My free throw shooting used to be rough,” she said, grinning. “Until a couple years ago, I made like 50 to 60 percent from the line. But I really started to work at it two years ago with my travel team (the Mystics). I’d shoot a lot of free throws before and after practice and it’s paid off.
“My running the court has also improved a lot compared to a few years ago. My coaches emphasized that being able to run the court would help separate me from other big players, so I’ve worked a lot on that, too.”
Williams revealed she can dunk, but hasn’t thrown one down yet during her brief stint with the Highlanders.
“The only one I tried was against Canton, but I came up a little short,” she said. “It was close, though, and it was fun to at least try.”
(Watch Lilly Williams swat away one of her nine blocked shots by clicking here.)
Future Spartan
Williams will be taking her talents — both athletic and academic — to Michigan State in the fall.
“In the end, Michigan State felt like home,” she said. “I love the coaching staff and the girls on the team. I wanted to go somewhere close to home and I knew Michigan State was the place for me early on.”
If she continues her steady ascent on the hardwood, there’s nothing stopping the personable hoops star from ultimately getting drafted by a WNBA franchise.
“That’s the plan,” she admitted. “That would be a dream come true, but I know it’s going to take a lot of hard work.”
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
