Gritty Wheaton Academy edges St. Francis
If one can look good succeeding in basketball, great. But it should never be at the expense of the victory. The eyes must always be on the prize.
The Wheaton Academy boys team knew going into Friday night’s game versus visiting St. Francis that a win would put some much needed space between it and the Spartans in the Suburban Christian Blue race.
In a defensive and physical contest where both squads’ offenses bought a ticket and sat in the stands, the Warriors accomplished their mission, prevailing 35-33 in front of raucous and bipartisan crowd at the Warrior Dome in West Chicago.
The win pushed Wheaton Academy to 12-8 overall and 6-1 in league play. St. Francis stands at 12-5, 4-2.
“The low score is an indication of just how hard the kids were going after each other,” Spartans coach Bob Ward said.
It was a night when teams appreciated even a 4-point lead, which the Warriors had after Cameron Harvey, who scored a game-high 17 points, made good on a fadeaway jumper to make it 34-30 Wheaton Academy with 3:03 left in the game.
A free throw by Ryan Coyle, who also had 17 points, and a putback bucket by Brian Spahn brought the Spartans to within 34-33. With 31.5 seconds left on the clock, Lars Olson’s free throw made it 35-33.
The Spartans inbounded the ball with 17.3 seconds left, but a 3-point attempt fell short.
“This is a big win. St. Francis is an excellent team. We had to play a phenomenal game to beat these guys,” Warriors coach Paul Ferguson said. “It was a very physical battle. We had a hard time getting anything down in the post. We had to gut out a win.”
St. Francis led 7-4 after the first quarter with Wheaton Academy ahead 18-17 after intermission. The Warriors were 6 of 21 from the field during the first half, with the Spartans at 6 of 19.
“During the first quarter we were really hyped up. We were playing out of oursevles. Once we slowed it down and took our time and took care of the ball, that was all she wrote,” Harvey said.
St. Francis had beaten Wheaton Academy 67-59 in the teams’ first meeting Dec. 10.
“We thought we missed some good scoring opportunities 1-on-1 inside. We didn’t finish, so did they. It was a physical game, and the offenses didn’t flow,” Ward said. “It was a great atmosphere and a big conference game.”
And he said he wouldn’t be surprised if the teams met a third time when the postseason rolls around.
“By virtue of the state tournament, they’re a team we could see again. And it could be sooner rather than later,” Ward said.