West Aurora's defense throttles Glenbard East
It was a not a first half to remember for Glenbard East on Friday night in Aurora.
The Rams' boys basketball team had a nightmarish opening 16 minutes against West Aurora in an Upstate Eight Valley game.
The Blackhawks' 59-37 victory was essentially determined over the first eight minutes of play.
West Aurora (13-6, 6-2) scored 19 points in the first quarter.
The Rams (11-12, 5-5) did not match the figure until early in the fourth quarter as West Aurora completely dominated the backboards and controlled the flow of the game with its defensive pressure.
"Their intensity kind of overwhelmed us early on," Glenbard East coach Scott Miller said of the Blackhawks' 8 first-half steals that resulted in several easy breakouts for West Aurora.
Glenbard East actually converted their first 3 field goals but would not score again until Michael Finley scored with 68 seconds to play before halftime.
"We tried to slow the tempo down," Miller said of the Rams' deliberate first-quarter possessions. "That was our strategy going in. Obviously, it didn't work. They just beat us in every facet of the game."
Drake Spears' 3-point play gave West Aurora a 16-6 lead late in the first quarter.
The Rams would never come within single figures again.
West Aurora was unrelenting on the glass in the first half, outrebounding Glenbard East 19-4 while limiting the Rams to 5-for-13 on field goals.
"Matt (Dunn) was over the place, stealing the ball," Spears said. "The double teams were really working. (The defense) just worked tonight."
West Aurora coach Gordie Kerkman was thrilled with the defensive play in the opening half but not so happy with the Blackhawks' play at the other end.
"I wasn't necessarily pleased with our offense," said Kerkman, who inched closer to his 800th career win with No. 797. "I take the blame for that. Our execution wasn't very good. Our timing was off. I thought our defense was exceptional in the first half."
Any hope Glenbard East had of clawing its way back in the game evaporated quickly in the third quarter.
Marquis Howard extended the Blackhawks' 28-8 halftime lead with a 3-pointer on the opening possession.
Illinois State-bound forward Roland Griffin - who missed significant minutes due to foul issues - made it consecutive 3-point possessions on the next trip down.
Dunn later added back-to-back steals that freshman Camron Donatlan turned into a quick 4-point burst.
"Our main key to every game is defense," Dunn said.
Griffin and Donatlan scored 13 points apiece to lead both teams.
Tommy Koth added a game-high 10 rebounds to spearhead the Blackhawks' 34-14 margin on the boards.
"(Rebounding) was a point of emphasis going into the game," Kerkman said.
Finley had 12 points to pace the Rams.
"Glenbard East isn't as bad as they played tonight," Kerkman said. "I watched them play a few times lately, and they're a much improved basketball team."