St. Francis overcomes 'problems' in win over Aurora Christian

With both Aurora Christian and St. Francis' boys basketball teams short-handed, both were at a disadvantage in the first game of Batavia's 33rd annual Ken Peddy Windmill City Classic.

Both teams had the same "problem" - several basketball players are still in football player mode and are heading to Champaign for state football this weekend.

Still, both teams used what they had, but it was the Spartans who walked away with the 59-47 win Tuesday.

"We are happy for our football team and it is great for the program...it might take some time for them to come back, but that's part of the deal," said Spartans coach Shawn Healy, who said about half the roster also plays football. "It's something we want to experience every year. We are happy for them."

For first year coach Marc Davidson, he said two starters were missing.

"It's going to help (when they are back), no doubt about it," Davidson said. "But it's something that will take a while. We'll be patient with it. We are all thrilled for them. We hope they win, and then those guys can start thinking about basketball."

St. Francis and Aurora Christian kept it close in the first half, as neither team led by more than 6 points. The Spartans, however, opened the second half on a 6-0 run and finished outscoring the Eagles 20-9 in the third, thanks to freshman Ryan Coyle. Coyle finished with 12 of his game-high 19 points in the third quarter. David Palash also finished in double-digits with 12 points to go with his team-high 7 rebounds.

Aurora Christian was led by Juwanza Wright (18 points) and Travis Cleveland (13 points, 5 rebounds).