Nailed it: Lonnie Mosley sizzles from free-throw line as Evergreen Park edges Eisenhower. ‘I just had to keep practicing.’

Evergreen Park’s Lonnie Mosley has a routine before he attempts every free throw.

No matter what gym he is in, the 5-foot-10 freshman guard looks for a certain spot on the floor.

“There is a nail at every free-throw line,” Mosley said. “I put my foot right there on the nail. I breathe, take two dribbles and knock it in.”

Mosley put his foot down and nailed it Wednesday night, going 9 of 11 from the free-throw line for the Mustangs in a 76-74 South Suburban Red win over host Eisenhower in Blue Island.

After missing two free throws in the closing seconds of a 62-61 home loss to Tinley Park on Dec. 2, Mosley wanted a chance to make it up to his teammates.

“I felt horrible after that Tinley Park game,” he said. “I just had to keep practicing. Then I had to just go out there and focus.

“Unfortunately, I’m a 50-50 free-throw shooter. It depends on the night.”

On this night, Mosley went 5 of 6 in the final 32 seconds as Evergreen Park (6-3, 3-1) held off a furious rally. Eisenhower (3-6, 0-3) buried a pair of 3-pointers in a frantic final eight seconds but came up short on a three at the buzzer.

Nolan Sexton led the Mustangs with 23 points, while Mosley added 21 and Ulises Cardenas 12. Billy Buchanan scored 11 points off the bench and hauled down seven rebounds.

AJ Abrams paced Eisenhower with 25 points, including 17 in the second half, while Ayipey Salinas added 14 points. Romell Benford had 18 rebounds.

Evergreen Park coach Jim Sexton said Mosley is getting better at the line.

“He’s 50% but improving because he really struggled at the beginning of the year,” Sexton said. “He’s a talented player, and some of it comes with confidence.

“Whether its good or bad, we’re playing in a lot of close games, so he has an opportunity late in games.”

Nolan Sexton, who was a freshman on the varsity two seasons ago, likes what he sees in Mosley.

“He has toughness, for sure, and you can see that every game,” Sexton said. “Sometimes, I have to influence him to make better decisions and fixing little mistakes. But he’s a strong player.”

Eisenhower led by nine points in the first half, but Evergreen Park forced a 33-33 tie at halftime. The Cardinals led by 14 in the second half.

“We’re all juniors and a couple of seniors, and the seniors don’t have much experience,” Eisenhower coach Neil Miguez said. “Last year, we took some lashes and getting blown out a lot against these good teams.

“Now, we’re in all of them.”

Evergreen Park is also going through some growing pains with younger players.

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After scoring a huge 64-61 win over Oak Lawn on Dec. 8, the Mustangs lost 74-42 the next night to St. Laurence.

“Our ups are high and our downs are very low,” Nolan Sexton said. “Obviously, we want to keep the highs, but the lows can’t be as low.

“We got killed by Laurence and that can build toughness, but we can’t be getting down by (14). That’s the third game in a row.”

Mosley said despite the ups and downs, he’s enjoying his experience on the varsity, especially with older brother Isaiah, a senior, on the team.

“It feels good,” Lonnie said. “Obviously, it’s great playing with all of the other guys, but playing with my brother is a fun experience.

“We’ve played on the same teams in the past, but it’s nice this year because this is his final year in high school. He teaches me to be tough.”

Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.