Batavia seniors enjoy final game vs. Vikings
Phil Albrecht has made the same shot before and won $5.
He didn't have any extra money in his wallet walking out of Batavia's gym Friday night, but he had something he liked a little better.
Albrecht's 3-pointer from halfcourt tied the game at 32 at halftime, and the Bulldogs went on to overcome an 8-point third-quarter deficit to win 74-68.
Batavia had been 0 of 6 on 3-pointers up to that point. They made just 2 of 9 in the second half to finish 2 of 15 on 3s inside 45 feet.
"Every practice before game day, we finish with half-court shots for $5," said Albrecht, who recently won for the first time this year. "I guess that paid off, and a little bit of luck."
Albrecht was one of four seniors who made sure their last game against Geneva ended with a win. He scored 15 points to complement Jordan Smith's 21, Nick Fruendt's 16 and great all-around bench play from Stewart Charles.
It certainly didn't come easy for the Bulldogs, just like nothing has lately -- or for that matter, all year -- starting with Fruendt's mononucleosis.
On the surface, everything looks fine. Friday's win all but seals another Western Sun title, the Bulldogs secured the top spot in the East Aurora sectional Thursday, and they turned heads around the state by nearly beating both Marshall and Simeon.
On the other hand, Batavia struggled for most of three quarters Friday, falling behind by as much as 50-42 late in the third quarter until Fruendt's 3-pointer started their comeback.
That came after Tuesday's surprise loss to Glenbard South and a nail-biter at DeKalb the previous week.
"It's sort of like we almost forgot how to blow teams out," Charles said. "Sometimes I feel like we play with our opponents instead of trying to blow them out. We just have to bring that energy every game, every night."
Every team needs a player like Charles. He came off the bench to score 7 points in the second half.
The offense is just a bonus with Charles, whose tenacious defense and effort really stood out while he filled in for Fruendt at the Elgin Holiday Tournament. Now with Fruendt back, Charles seems to be earning more minutes each game.
"I thought Stew Charles came in and gave us a huge lift," Batavia coach Jim Roberts said. "Great energy. Defensively did some nice things."
Charles grabbed 6 rebounds while hounding Geneva's two best offensive players, Alex Turnowchyk and Max Cary.
"When I can make plays on offense I do, but defense usually if you just put your heart into it, anyone can play defense," Charles said.
Batavia has three games left in the regular season before it starts play in the Class 4A Bartlett regional. After earning No. 2 sectional seeds the past two years, the Bulldogs did one better this year and grabbed the top spot.
Albrecht said consistency will be the key to Batavia playing at the level it expects come the postseason.
"I don't like to admit it but we kind of came lackadaisical Tuesday, and we knew if we came like that this game we would get run out of the gym," Albrecht said. "We had to bring that intensity. We just have to keep that consistently."