Hillcrest’s Darrion Baker, good in a crunch, knows he doesn’t have to do it all. ‘We’re a very balanced team.’

Senior forward Darrion Baker is focused this season on helping his Hillcrest teammates. The Akron recruit does not want to hog shot attempts.

But coach Don Houston knows Baker is ready to take the lead when needed.

“He’s trying to be a team player,” Houston said. “He wants his teammates to eat, too. At the same token, sometimes he has to show who he is. We’re a very balanced team, but sometimes he has to take over.

“When it’s his time, he knows it.”

The fourth quarter was Baker’s time Friday night. He scored nine of his 19 points over the final four minutes, helping the Hawks pull away for a 73-62 win over host Evergreen Park in a South Suburban Conference crossover.

Quentin Heady also scored 19 points and pulled down nine rebounds for Hillcrest (23-2, 11-0 SSC Blue). Tolu Samuels finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Bryce Tillery scored 12 points.

Freshman guard Lonnie Mosley poured in 23 points for Evergreen Park (14-11, 5-5 SSC Red). Ulises Cardenas scored 21 points on seven 3-pointers, while Nolan Sexton contributed eight points and six rebounds.

The Mustangs trailed just 50-49 entering the fourth quarter, but Baker made sure the Hawks put the game away.

He scored on a pullup jumper and a drive to the basket, putting the exclamation point on the victory with a huge breakaway dunk that made it 71-62 with 45 seconds left.

Baker had just four points in the first half.

“Knowing teams are going to play zone, I stay patient,” Baker said. “There’s no need to force it when I’ve got guys around me who can do the same thing I can. Eventually, we got them out of the zone.

“In the fourth quarter, even though it was a one-point game, we played together, kept going and didn’t let up and we came away with a victory.”

Baker has seen teammates like Heady and Samuels take huge strides with their scoring this season, while Tillery remains a consistent point guard.

As a result, Baker knows he doesn’t always have to carry the offense. And when defenses focus on him, he’s ready to make the right pass.

“I’ve tried to work on getting everyone involved while still getting myself involved, so we can get clicking on all cylinders,” Baker said.

Mosley did not show any nerves as a freshman playing against one of the top teams in the state. He scored 10 points in the first quarter to provide the spark.

The Mustangs hit 13 3-pointers in the game.

“Lonnie is always ready for big games,” Evergreen Park coach Jim Sexton said. “He’s been great for us as a freshman. We’ve been struggling shooting the ball, so to see us break out of it (Friday) was really good to see.

“We played well. We were in it. I think, down the stretch, we got a little tired. Hillcrest is a bit deeper than us and I think that hurt.”

The Hawks have been challenged by several conference opponents this season but are still perfect in SSC Blue play.

“They were hitting some tough shots,” Houston said of Evergreen Park. “You have to give them a lot of credit. People are playing us tough and that’s good. We’re battle-tested. We’re not just going to walk over everyone.

“Our conference opponents know us better than anybody and they’re going to give us their best. We have to stay true to who we are and find ways to win those games.”

As far as Heady is concerned, it was just another step on the way to big things.

“Our main mission is to go downstate,” Heady said. “We’re trying to get better each practice and every game. That’s our mission — to keep getting better.”

Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.