Waubonsie thriller starts Batavia on improbable run

Editor's note: The following was first published March 3, 2005

With a smile as wide as a basketball court, Jack Scalcucci exited Batavia's locker room to a tunnel of hugs and back slaps.

The only thing out of place was Scalcucci's tie, which was in a somewhat disheveled state.

"I kind of hurried," Scalcucci said, the grin never leaving his face.

Fortunately Scalcucci took his time when it mattered against host Waubonsie Valley in Wednesday's Class AA regional opener.

With time running down in regulation and Batavia trailing the host Warriors by 3, Scalcucci nailed a 3-pointer from the far right corner to force overtime.

Then with the buzzer looming in a 67-67 game in overtime, Scalcucci took Nick Fruendt's outlet pass, dribbled in and hit a layup that gave the Bulldogs a 69-67 victory and a spot in Friday's regional championship game.

"The kids played their hearts out," Batavia coach Jim Roberts said. "It's a neat thing to coach and a neat thing to be part of."

No. 11 seed Batavia (15-11) faces No. 4 Plainfield Central on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

But the season was literally clock ticks from being over. Waubonsie Valley had defenders at the arc to defend the 3-pointer and Scalcucci's shot was defended.

"We were running down with time and I just kind of threw it up with a hope and a prayer," Scalcucci said. "I squared up my shoulders and made the best effort."

But the baseline 20-footer swished through the net.

"It did feel good," Scalcucci said. "I was just hoping it had the distance because I was kind of fading away a little bit."

Batavia surged at the start of overtime but Waubonsie Valley (21-6) fought back and took a 67-65 lead with 1:18 left when Mike Bowden scored inside for the last of his 24 points.

Batavia rallied with a Jeff Roeske basket with 51 seconds left to tie the game. Waubonsie Valley called timeout with 12 seconds left. Mason Stewart took a floater from 6 feet with 5 seconds to play.

The shot missed and came to Fruendt to the right of the free throw lane. Fruendt fed Scalcucci at midcourt and the Batavia junior did the rest.

"I thought about pulling up at the 3-point line," Scalcucci said. "My teammates were yelling, 'two, one' and I just wanted to get it off. I missed that shot earlier in the game so I was going, 'please go in.' (The clock) was definitely on my mind. I just wanted to get it off with time left."

Scalcucci led all scorers with 28 points.

Batavia 69, West Chicago 62: Who's next?

Does it matter?

Just how many 20-win teams is this Batavia team going to beat?

Waubonsie Valley entered the postseason 21-5 and playing on its home court. That's nothing a couple clutch Jack Scalcucci baskets can't handle.

Plainfield Central, 22-4 going into the regional final, left 22-5 after the balanced Bulldogs put four players in double figures.

The latest victim came Tuesday night, a West Chicago team whose 22-5 record happened to be the best in school history.

Make that 22-6.

After a regular season when no break seemed to go its way, Batavia is in the midst of a magical postseason run that continued with Tuesday's come-from-behind 69-62 victory over West Chicago in the Class AA East Aurora sectional semifinals.

The same Batavia team that went 14-11 in the regular season, 5-5 in the Suburban Prairie North Conference, 0-2 against Geneva, has now defeated three teams with a combined 65-14 record. You can't find a team in the state that has played three better teams to reach the sectional finals.

"Our kids have been knocked down," Batavia coach Jim Roberts said. "Our kids took some on the chin. Hopefully we will learn and grow from it."

Oh how the Bulldogs have learned. The Baby Bulldogs - with four juniors, a sophomore and a freshman playing almost the entire game - are growing up at the perfect time. They are playing their best basketball when the lights shine the brightest, like they were in front of 3,000-plus fans at East Aurora.

They also relish their role as underdogs, the No. 11 seed that now has sent home the No. 5, No. 4 and No. 6 seeds.

"We're just the underdogs coming in here with no pressure," Scalcucci said. "Nobody expects us to win and that's a great thing because we just go out there and play and leave it on the floor. It's real big for us, this entire team, for the program in general."

After the first half Tuesday against West Chicago, it looked like the Bulldogs' magical run might be winding down. The Wildcats were scoring with ease inside in building an 8-point lead.

Roberts extended his defense with a three-quarters court press in the third quarter, using his three-guard lineup to his advantage by upping the pressure and taking West Chicago out of its half-court offense.

"Defense was a major key," said Batavia guard Steve Ideran. "We really tried to get after them, especially in the third quarter. Our defense really set the tone and created a lot of opportunities for our offense."

"We got the pace of the game going, that was in our favor," said Batavia freshman Nick Fruendt.

That defense also held West Chicago senior Greg Callahan, who burned West Aurora for 7 3-pointers and 23 points Friday, to 5 points, including 0-of-3 on his 3-point attempts.

Batavia also had a little good fortune on its side, as a West Chicago team that hit 9 of 11 from the foul line against West Aurora went 11 of 22.

While the defense got Batavia back into the game, Fruendt and Rashad Mitchell took turns delivering clutch baskets on the other end. The duo scored 31 of their 40 points in the second half.

It's scary to think how good Fruendt will be as a senior three years from now. The only time West Chicago stopped him Tuesday came when he was sitting next to Roberts in foul trouble.

For that matter, it's scary to think how good this Batavia team will be next year when all five starters return.

But there's no "Wait for Next Year" attitude for these Bulldogs.

"We're focusing on this year," smiled Scalcucci.

Who can blame him? What a season it's turned out to be.