The locker room was nearly silent as Thornwood coach Bob Curran detailed all the errors his team made Friday night in Richton Park. A few seconds later, Thunderbird guard Reggie Hamilton chimed in, chiding his fellow seniors for failing to work hard enough.

The thing is, Thornwood won.

The No. 10 Thunderbirds hung on to beat Rich South 41-39, but make no mistake, things aren’t going real well in the Thornwood camp right now.

Sophomore Steve Walker, the Thunderbirds starting center, wasn’t with the team Friday.

“Steve’s trying to get some personal things together,��? Curran said. “We’re hoping he’ll get through it. You start the year with the team and you want to finish the year with the team.��?

Rich South junior Carlton Guyton missed a three-point attempt with seven seconds to play that could have tied the game. Instead, the ball went out of bounds to the Thunderbirds and Hamilton drained two free throws on the other end that sealed the win. Sophomore Kendrick Morse hit a three at the buzzer to bring Rich Central within two.

Hamilton scored a game-high 19 points. He checked in midway through the first quarter, along with senior guard Trey Blue.

“The starting lineup was based on work ethic��? Curran said. “How we are right now is not good enough. We’re not gonna get good enough unless things change.��?

The Thunderbirds (7-2, 4-0 SICA East) are senior laden and return most of the players from a team that finished fourth in the state last season — not the usual makeup for disaster.

“This is the same group that I was yelling at in the summertime,��? Curran said.

Colby Johnson scored six points and Blue added four points and four rebounds.

“I know the seniors on this team can do a lot better,��? Hamilton said.

Morse scored 16 points to lead Rich Central (3-6, 0-4 SICA South). Guyton added 14 points and Crandall Head, the younger brother of Houston Rocket Luther Head, scored seven points and grabbed six rebounds.

“We’re playing a lot of young guys right now,��? Head said. “Every game we get more confidence and get better.��?

The Stars opened the game with an 11-4 run and then led briefly in the fourth quarter after a three by Guyton.

“There were times where we looked really good out there tonight,��? Rich South coach Scott Ritter said.