Wheaton Academy meets its standard
Wheaton Academy jogged into the locker room at halftime Tuesday night feeling a little down about itself despite a 14-point lead.
“We just didn’t feel like we were playing up to our standard,” senior forward Luke Thorson said. “No one was satisfied with how we were playing. We knew we were a 10-times better team than that. We just had a chip on our shoulder at halftime to come out at halftime, and we had to prove to everyone that we were better than a (14)-point lead.”
They eventually proved good enough for a 29-point lead on their way to a 67-49 victory against Michele Clark in the Class 3A Wheaton Academy regional semifinals.
“We started the game a little tight,” Warriors coach Paul Ferguson said. “We had some of that state-tournament jitters we needed to get out. But once we settled down we played a particularly good third quarter. We were just kind of excited to get the state tournament started.”
Clark (7-16), the No. 20 seed, took a 9-4 lead early, but the fourth-seeded Warriors (26-1) were just getting warmed up, especially 6-foot-9 post player Luke Johnson. Johnson scored 19 points in the first half and finished with 24 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks despite getting in minor foul trouble in the third quarter.
“We had nobody who could stop him in the low post,” Clark coach Curtis Irby said.
“There were some holes in their zone that we were able to exploit,” Ferguson added. “Luke’s played really well the second half of the year. He’s given us a great inside presence all season, and they didn’t really have anyone who could guard him.”
While Johnson rested, senior Wes Koral picked up the slack, scoring 8 of his 12 points in the third quarter, when he also grabbed 4 rebounds and dished 3 assists.
“With all of our seniors they’ve started to develop a little bit of a sense of urgency,” Ferguson said.
Thorson agreed.
“In the third quarter we realized we’ve got to start to play or this could be the end of our season,” he said.
Instead their season continues with a 7:30 p.m. Friday regional final against fifth-seeded North Lawndale. Tuesday’s result ties a school record for wins in a season.
“Once you step back and look at it, it’s an amazing thing to think 26 wins,” Thorson said. “All the work we’ve gone through, it’s good to get to that 26th win.”