Can Hawks' ride continue?
Bartlett's boys basketball team sent shockwaves throughout the so-called "sectional of death" by axing top-seeded Batavia 86-63 last Friday to advance to East Aurora.
If Bartlett (21-9) can so thoroughly dominate Batavia, the Daily Herald's top-ranked team at the time, a squad ranked No. 10 in Class 4A that boasted a combined record of 42-7 over two seasons, what can't these Hawks accomplish?
"In our minds, we have to think that if we play good basketball, if we play team basketball, we can play with anybody still standing in the state tournament," first-year Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith said. "That doesn't make you cocky. It doesn't make you arrogant -- just confident that we can play with those teams.
"But there's a proviso: You have to play good basketball. You have to follow the gameplan and you have to play as a team. Otherwise, anyone can beat you. We have to have that attitude."
The No. 8 Hawks (21-7), who tied the school record for victories set in 2001, play tonight at East Aurora in a Class 4A sectional semifinal at 7:30 p.m. against No. 13 Glenbard West (16-12), a defending sectional champion with a bona fide star on its roster.
Northwestern-bound forward John Shurna scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a regional title-game victory over Naperville Central on Friday.
Three days earlier Shurna scored 29 points and pulled down 22 rebounds in a 5-point upset of No. 4 Wheaton North.
Can the 6-foot-8 Shurna stay hot against a big Bartlett team that includes 6-9 Eastern Michigan recruit Kamil Janton, who scored 19 points and snared 13 rebounds against Batavia?
"It depends on how they play him," Glenbard West coach Tim Hoder said. "Sometimes when a team has smaller guys they send everybody to him, they triple- and quadruple-team him. Bartlett isn't used to having to do that."
Said Wolfsmith: "Shurna is a handful. He can play on the perimeter, he can play in the post, he rebounds like nobody's business. They run everything through him, but they have some other players who are playing exceptionally well."
One of those players, according to Wolfsmith is 6-6 sophomore Tyler Warden, an energy player who hustles for rebounds and loose balls. Other key players for the Hilltoppers include 6-4, 230-pounder Chris Watt and 6-4 forward Shane Bryant and 5-9 junior guard Bryant Venson.
Bartlett counters with its fearsome foursome of Janton, 6-5 senior forward Cory Hrynyk (13.3 ppg.), sophomore Luke Labedzki (14.0), and junior point guard Marc Little (12.2).
"They're a very good team size-wise," Hoder said. "They're skilled at every position. Every kid can score. We've had a size and strength advantage in many games this season. I don't know that'll be the case against them."
The Hawks now compete in a sectional grouping that has a distinct Upstate Eight Conference flavor. UEC champion Neuqua Valley (23-7) plays league runner-up Waubonsie Valley (22-6) in the other semifinal on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
At midseason Bartlett was a team still trying to incorporate the philosophies of its new coach, who wasn't hired until September. It seems the Hawks have fought through the learning curve. Only Whitney Young (90 points) scored more than Bartlett's 86 points in any Class 4A regional final last Friday.
"They've finally figured it out and they're out there playing as a team, sharing the ball," Wolfsmith said. "We had 19 assists, which is a good number to have when you have 35 baskets. That talks about sharing the ball and making the extra pass. That's what takes you to championships in regionals, sectionals and state."