DeKalb 50, Kaneland 41

It looked like a good omen for Kaneland's basketball team. Then again, maybe it was fool's gold.

Trailing DeKalb by four points at halftime. the Knights opened the second half with a 10-2 run in the first three minutes and…well, that was about it.

DeKalb reversed the momentum and took the reins from there for a 50-41 victory Friday night at Kaneland to deal the Knights their first loss in Western Sun Conference play.

After hitting four quick baskets during its post-halftime blitz, Kaneland (2-3, 1-1) managed just four more field goals from there -- nearly 13 minutes. Meanwhile, DeKalb (2-3, 1-0) caught fire behind point guard Jon Umoren, whose mastery turned a 28-24 deficit into a 40-33 DeKalb lead after three quarters.

Umoren scored seven of his team-high 11 points -- including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer -- during the Barbs' decisive three-minute stretch. He added three assists during the run, as DeKalb outscored the Knights 16-5 after Kaneland's burst.

"John is our natural leader, on and off the court," DeKalb coach David Rohlman said. "We expect that from him."

Umoren finished with six assists and exhibited the kind of play-making Kaneland lacked.

Even after forcing DeKalb into nine first-quarter turnovers, Kaneland was on the short end of an 11-10 score, due largely to its woeful 3-for-19 shooting. It didn't get much better from there as the Knights managed just two field goals in the second quarter.

They were fond of the long ball, but hit just 6-of-27 shots from beyond the arc.

"It's one thing to jack it up when you're hot, but we were 1-for-20 and guys kept shooting," Kaneland coach Dennis Hansen said. "We've got to learn that basketball is a team effort. We played so well the last few games but tonight everybody was just out to get their points rather than run the offense and get good shots. It was disappointing."

Dave Dudzinski, the Knights' 6-9 sophomore center, scored two quick baskets during the 10-2 run. Minutes later, Jordan Threloff -- Dudzinski's 6-10 counter-part for DeKalb -- went to the bench with foul trouble, and the middle looked for the taking for Kaneland.

"But we weren't patient enough to get it inside," Hansen lamented. "We were more interested in jacking up 25-footers."

Kaneland sophomore starter Ryley Bailey led all scorers with 14 points and was the Knights' only player in double figures. Dudzinski finished with eight points, as did reserve Nate Peters.

Tyler Smith led DeKalb with 12 points and Matt Larson added nine off the bench.

For Kaneland, it's back to the drawing board to iron out some of the inconsistencies that come with such a youthful team.

"We couldn't throw it in the ocean…and then we made it worse by forcing things," Hansen said. "We got to get that straightened out."