Somonauk ends season for Westminster C.
HINCKLEY - There was a reason Westminster Christian boys basketball coach Bruce Firchau labeled Somonauk guard Shayne Peterson as the "Energizer Bunny" on his scouting report.
Peterson used his speedy approach to score all of his 17 points in the second half and lead Somonauk to a 53-48 victory over the Warriors in a semifinal of the Class 1A Hinckley-Big Rock regional. Westminster (17-11) nearly kept its season alive, despite Peterson's efforts.
The Warriors fell behind 49-40 - their biggest deficit of the game - with 2:28 left to play. But Westminster clawed back to 49-46 after Ryan Beachler nailed a pair of free throws with 20 seconds left to play. Forced to foul, Westminster sent Peterson to the line, where he sank a pair of foul shots to put the Bobcats (18-11) back up 51-46. The Warriors turned the ball over on their ensuing possession, which led to another pair of Peterson free throws, these two clinching the game. Peterson was 7 of 9 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter as Somonauk went just 1 of 4 in the rest of the game.
"He took over in the second half with his quickness," Firchau said of Peterson. "Defensively, we couldn't get a handle on him."
Westminster senior Mike Nicosia was more than energized during the first 3 quarters. The senior scored all of his game-high 18 points in the first 3 periods, which allowed Westminster to stay within 7 points for the entire game. He shot 8 of 14 from the floor and added a pair of steals in the loss.
Nicosia opened the game by scoring 9 of the Warriors 13 first-quarter points and made all 4 of the Warriors' first-quarter field goals, including a 3-pointer with 12 seconds left.
"We were running our offense," Nicosia said. "I have the green light to shoot if I'm open. We needed to come out strong early. We knew the key to the game was offensive rebounds."
Offensive rebounds were the Warriors' strength in the first half. Westminster was able to overcome an 8 of 24 shooting effort in the first half by grabbing 21 boards, including 11 on the offensive side. Somonauk grabbed just 11 total boards in the first half.
If the glass was the strongest area for the Warriors, then Ian Dutcher was the Incredible Hulk. The sophomore center nabbed 11 boards, 6 offensive, to go along with his 14 points. He also picked up 4 blocks in the game, giving the Warrior nation something to look forward to next season.
"Next year, we're going to have a good team," said Dutcher. "I had a good time playing with the seniors, it's hard for it to end."