Fruendt helps extend Batavia's streak to 7

It took exactly eight seconds for Nick Fruendt to get into the scoring column Saturday night.

By the end of the first quarter, Batavia's 6-foot, 6-inch senior guard/forward had already knocked down 4 of his first 5 shots and 4 consecutive free throws, matching Aurora Christian's entire output for the first eight minutes.

At halftime, the silky smooth veteran accounted for nearly half (15) of the Bulldogs' 32 first-half points while the home team built a 10-point advantage.

By game's end, the Northwestern-bound recruit had earned Most Valuable Player honors for the second straight year after leading Batavia (3-0) to a 63-41 victory over Aurora Christian (1-2) in the final round of the 32nd annual Ken Peddy Windmill City Classic.

The Bulldogs have now won 7 consecutive Windmill City Classic titles.

"Coming in here, it was important to keep the streak going," said Fruendt, who connected on 8 of 13 shots from the floor and 9 of 10 free throws to go with 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists.

"We're 12-0 (in the tournament) in my four years here. But it's kind of bittersweet knowing that this is my last one."

Fruendt made his presence felt early, scoring all 8 points during his team's 8-0 run that turned an 11-9 lead into a 19-9 advantage right before the end of the first quarter.

"We try to come out strong because everybody is fired up to play against us," said Fruendt. "It's important to get that early lead."

The Bulldogs made sure their double-digit lead held firm, outscoring the Eagles 14-2 during the first four minutes of the second half.

Phil Albrecht began the surge with a 3-pointer, while Jordan Smith (10 points, 8 rebounds) added a layup, Fruendt canned a 3-pointer of his own and Stewart Charles converted a layup to make it 46-24 midway through the third quarter.

Batavia also made a concerted effort to slow down the Eagles' outside shooters, who nailed eight 3-pointers one night earlier in a victory over Addison Trail.

After making four 3-pointers in the first half, Aurora Christian connected on just 2 of 7 from beyond the arc in the final 16 minutes.

"They have the type of shooters that can shoot themselves into the game real quickly," said Batavia coach Jim Roberts. "We tried to make our kids real aware of it."

"We just didn't handle the pressure in the perimeter," said Eagles coach Don Davidson. "They had everybody swarming the perimeter."

David Bryant added 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, while Fruendt tallied 11 second-half points before exiting with 1:47 left.

"Nick played like a four-year starter should," said Davidson. "He's very unselfish."

Despite three straight double-digit victories to open the season, Roberts realizes his team must continue to improve.

"We have a lot of things to work on," he said. "But at the same time, we did some things well this week."