Wheaton Academy defeats Immaculate Conception
Wheaton Academy was reined in for about 12 minutes Friday night.
After the Warriors opened the first quarter of their game against Immaculate Conception in Elmhurst by jumping out to a 17-2 advantage, the Knights stayed within striking range.
But then a 31-point explosion in the third quarter ended that as Wheaton Academy prevailed 85-57. The win pushed the Warriors to 18-1 overall and 5-0 in Suburban Christian Gold play. The Knights ended a four-game winning streak and fell to 9-11, 2-3 despite a game-high 21 points from Anthony Loss.
“I don’t think it was a case of us getting away from what we had been doing in the second quarter,” IC coach Darren Howard said. “There were a lot of loose balls in the third quarter, and they grabbed them and converted on them and it went from an 8-point lead to a 20-point lead in a matter of minutes.
“Wheaton Academy is 18-1 for a reason, and you can’t give them opportunities.”
The Warriors led 36-26 at intermission, and the Knights’ Demetrius Mobley even pulled his team to within 4 at the 1:16 mark on a putback, but Wheaton Academy finished the quarter on a 6-0 run.
Four 3-point baskets by the Warriors, including 3 from Lars Olson, helped Wheaton Academy get off to its big start. Tate Fritz was the Warriors’ top scorer with 17.
“Immacualte Conception made some nice adjustments in the second quarter and we struggled with our own adjustments,” Wheaton Academy coach Paul Ferguson said. “Fortunately, we were able make adjustments at halftime and really shot the ball well in the third quarter.”
The Warriors led 67-43 after three quarters.
Larry Reynolds had 13 points and Luke Johnson had 12.
Despite the loss Howard is optimistic that the Knights are on the right track as the season enters its final month.
“Absolutely, we’ve been playing better since Christmas. We’re more confident, and Mobley and Loss have been tremendous leaders,” he said.
As for Wheaton Academy, it continues to roll along with plenty of momentum behind it.
“Everybody is just jelling as a team,” senior Wes Koral said.