Coffey, Bowman spark Batavia comeback
St. Charles North had control against Batavia early Friday in its Upstate Eight Conference River Division opener, getting the ball inside to Griffin Hammer and taking a double-digit first-half lead.
Hammer picked up his second foul shortly after, and the Bulldogs capitalized. By halftime they cut the North Stars' lead to 1 point, and Canaan Coffey and Brett Bowman sparked a big second half, sending Batavia to a 62-56 win in front of a lively home crowd.
Coffey scored 17 of his game-high 21 points in the second half while also playing lockdown defense on North Stars guard Mikey Schroeder.
"We don't put our heads down," Coffey said. "Coach keeps us motivated, we all keep each other motivated. That's one of the biggest things in basketball. Somebody gets on a run, someone puts their head down on the other team, and it's done from there. You just have to keep a positive attitude and keep attacking and keep going for it."
Batavia (3-2, 1-0) got a big lift from Bowman, who played his first game after suffering a sprained MCL in the Bulldogs' football playoff loss to Cary-Grove.
Bowman scored 15 points and hit 7 of 8 free throws.
"I just tried to do my role for the team and provide energy off the bench," Bowman said. "Once the gym got rocking you get in the flow of the game and everything starts to fall and we start to roll."
It was St. Charles North (2-3, 0-1) who was rolling early. Hammer scored the team's first 6 points, all with strong moves near the hoop, and also had 7 points early in the second quarter as the North Stars built a 25-15 lead.
Unfortunately for the North Stars, Hammer was on the bench in foul trouble when the Bulldogs closed the first half on a 9-0 run to trail 25-24 at halftime.
Hammer picked up his fourth foul late in the third quarter. He didn't re-enter the game until 2:38 remained in the fourth, and he fouled out a little over a minute later.
Hammer finished with 20 points and 9 rebounds for the North Stars, who played without coach Tom Poulin. Assistant Rob Prentiss said Poulin "took ill after school."
"It kind of tied my hands with his (Hammer's) foul trouble," Prentiss said. "I did the best I could. He made a big difference for us. Some silly fouls but he's going to be a heck of a player for us. He already is but I think he's going to get better and better."
In a tight game with 10 ties and 8 lead changes, Batavia entered the fourth up 38-37. The North Stars tied the game at 42 on a putback by Kyle King (10 points, 11 rebounds), then took a 45-42 lead on Armon Osborne's 3-point play.
Batavia regained a 46-45 lead as Bowman hit 4 straight free throws, and after a pair of King free throws, the Bulldogs took the lead for good 48-47 on Coffey's baseline drive.
Coffey followed with another nifty move through traffic, and John Fitch (10 points) made it 54-49 when he found himself alone under the hoop on one of several backdoor cuts that led to easy Bulldog scores.
"We kept our composure," Nazos said. "Our execution in the second half was really good. We got really good looks."
"It was our feeder night, all the little kids were there, it was a cool to pull out a win for them," Coffey said. "That was the loudest that place has been in awhile. It was cool to see that."