A near-capacity crowd had already filed out of the Willow Run High School gymnasium when the Flyer players emerged from their locker room, still in full uniform.

They were headed back to the free-throw line, the spot where any hopes of upsetting cross-town rival Ypsilanti was thwarted on Thursday night.

The Phoenix improved to 5-1 with a 53-49 non-conference win.

"We put them (Ypsilanti) at the foul line and they nailed their foul shots. We didn't. That was the complete difference in the whole game," Willow Run coach George Woods said as he watched groups of players rotating at the foul line on each side of the court.

"But this says a lot about them. I asked them what they wanted to do, and they wanted to come back out and shoot free throws."

For Ypsilanti coach Steve Brooks, winning a tight game in a hostile environment was a sign of his team's maturity.

"I just really think we would have folded last year in this kind of game," said Brooks, whose team was 7-14 overall and 1-3 in games decided by five points or less in 2008-09. "I'm really proud of the kids." (Rest of the Story | Boxscore)