Batavia 45, Kaneland 38
School's out for a few more days, but Batavia's basketball team was confronted with a tough test on Friday night.
The Bulldogs passed, albeit just barely, and had a hard time doing so. Their 45-38 victory over Kaneland was neither artistic nor emphatic, but it was the basketball equivalent of an A-plus -- a win.
For Batavia, fresh off its championship showing at the Elgin Holiday Tournament, it marked the team's fifth straight victory as the Bulldogs moved to 13-2 overall and 6-1 in the Western Sun Conference.
Batavia, which managed just three points in the second quarter, actually trailed for much of the first three quarters before finding its offense and asserting control down the stretch. After a hideous 5-for-24 shooting performance in the first half -- which saw Kaneland take a 14-12 lead into halftime -- the Bulldogs finally regained the lead late in the third quarter on consecutive 3-pointers by David Bryant and Phil Albrecht.
"I thought we had some pretty good looks first half; a couple of times, the ball was down and just popped out," Batavia coach Jim Roberts said. "You have to fight through that, especially on the road."
They did, and once ahead, Batavia's defense turned the screws. The Bulldogs never again relinquished the lead en route to their narrow escape.
"Hopefully we learned some things about ourselves because we have to play better," Roberts said. "But give a lot of credit to Kaneland. They did a great job of taking away some things we wanted to do. They beat us to some loose balls, beat us on the glass and hit some big shots. It all showed up in the (final) score."
Kaneland (6-9, 2-5) didn't fare much better offensively, hitting just 6-of-22 from the field in the first half. But the Knights found their range in the third quarter, with Kevin Green (6 points) scoring a pair of fast-break baskets and 6-9 sophomore Dave Dudzinski (8 points) scoring in the low post.
The Knights had their biggest lead at 27-21 with 2:43 left, but Batavia closed the quarter with a pivotal 10-1 blitz. Bryant (11 points) hit a leaner in the lane and followed with a 3-pointer on the next possession 30 seconds later. Albrecht (8 points) then nailed his only 3-pointer of the game as Batavia grabbed a 31-28 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Jordan Smith, who scored 10 of his game-high 15 points in the second half, opened the fourth quarter with a three-point play and a foul-line jumper. That was followed by another 3-pointer by Bryant to give the Bulldogs some breathing room up 39-34 with 3:17 to play.
"We just went back to basics in the second half," Smith said. "Coach just told us to play basketball and do what we've got to do. We needed more movement, and even though I really struggled finishing at the basket, I got the free throws to drop."
Smith single-handedly outscored Kaneland from the line, hitting 7-of-9 free throws while Kaneland, collectively, shot just 4-of-6.
"We played hard and did what we were supposed to do; we just didn't score enough points," Kaneland coach Dennis Hansen said. "We played great team basketball. It was just a matter of putting the ball in the hole a few more times. But their defense had a lot to do with that."
Nick Wagner led Kaneland with 11 points and Nate Peters added 10. But after the Knights pulled to within 40-38 with 2:26 left, they went scoreless the rest of the way. Dudzinksi fouled out with 1:36 left, committing an offensive foul while going for a potential game-tying basket, and Batavia iced it with free throws the rest of the way.
Mary Beth Nolan/mnolan@dailyherald.com
Kaneland's Kevin Green shoots against Batavia's Jordan Coffey in the first quarter of the Bulldogs' win Friday in Maple Park.