Wave, WC each now 2-0
The St. Edward Green Wave boys basketball team came ready to play as they won soundly over Kirkland Hiawatha 70-27 Friday at the Westminster Christian Thanksgiving Classic Tournament.
The Green Wave (2-0) played with a fierce intensity on defense and capitalized on the numerous turnovers committed by the Hawks throughout the game.
"We focused on defense all summer and tonight was just an example that the team is buying into that concept," said Green Wave coach Keith Chuipek. "We were communicating, applying pressure, and getting on the floor all night long."
From the start the Wave made things difficult for the Hawks (0-2) by playing an aggressive man-to-man defense and running the fast break to get quick points off of turnovers.
Before the Hawks knew it they had gone nearly the entire first quarter without making a basket, which came with 43 seconds left in the period.
Senior Brett Manning who, shared team scoring honors tied with Josh Dix (13 points), showcased his offensive skills in the second quarter by connecting on 3 straight attempts from a variety of spots on the floor.
Manning hit a 3 pointer, a pull-up jump shot, and went baseline underneath the basket for a nifty lay-up.
"We weren't satisfied with Tuesday's performance, so tonight we wanted to step it up by being more aggressive on both ends of the floor," said Manning.
The Wave went into halftime with a commanding 39-16 lead, which allowed Chuipek to get quality minutes for the rest of team heading into today's matchup against Westminster Christian.
"The way we have started this season plays into the vision of where the team has seen itself going," said Chuipek. "We want to be in the top tier of teams in this area and our conference, so long as we continue to play with intensity and defense we can get there."
Westminster Christian 61, Elgin Academy 26: As the final horn sounded, fans glanced at the scoreboard thinking they were downstate at the IHSA football championships. If Westminister Christian played this game on the field, the Warriors may have been state champs, but Westminister played Friday night's game on the hardwood, and defeated Elgin Academy 61-26 in the Westminster tournament in Elgin.
Even though the Hilltoppers' shots wouldn't fall, coach Everette Stephens found improvement from their last contest.
"It was a lot smoother transition as far as better decision-making on the defense and offense. We've still got some things to work out," Stephens said.
Things were working out for Westminister, which outscored Elgin Academy 31-6 in the first half. The Warriors held the Hilltoppers scoreless for the entire first quarter and until Cory Ebert knocked down the Hilltoppers' first shot early in the second quarter. Westminiser dominated with its offensive outburst, but mainly because of its swarming defense.
"We won with our defense. We were pleased with our defense," said Westminister coach Bruce Firchau. "They moved the ball well tonight. I thought we really improved offensively compared to Tuesday night."
Joel Benson led the way for the Warriors with 23 points. He dominated the third quarter by hitting 4 field goals including a 3-pointer for 9 points in the quarter.
"We came in and slowed it down a notch. We were a little more relaxed," said Benson, "We need to close out better, we need to get back quicker off our missed shots."
Firchau said tonight's game against St. Edward will prove to be a much larger test.
"(Today's game) will be a hard game with St. Ed's, and then we go right into conference play, which will be brutal," he said. "The teams are just three miles apart. They're going to go after it hard. The kids know each other. I think it's great for Elgin. It will be a hard game for both teams."
Cory Hodge added 13 points and Tyler Beacher added 9 for the Warriors in the win. Ebert had 6 points for the Hilltoppers.
-- Steve Nichols