Bryant, Batavia keep firing

Does David Bryant have a flair for the dramatic or what?

He wears No. 3 on his Batavia jersey, but wouldn't No. 31 be more fitting? Reggie Miller?

The hit-a-3-pointer, steal-the-ball, run-out-to-the-3-point-line, hit-another-3-pointer, break-your-opponents-heart sequence that Miller famously pulled off against the New York Knicks?

Bryant basically did that, though he did wait about 20 seconds before making his second dramatic 3. That shot held up as his second game-winner in three days during Batavia's improbable, highly impressive run to the Elgin Holiday Tournament title.

Or to stay with the Knicks theme, maybe Bryant in the role of Willis Reed?

One night Bryant is in the hospital until 12:45 a.m. getting four stitches in his head. The next night he walks back on the court, giving his team an emotional lift it needs to win the championship -- this time the Elgin title instead of Reed's NBA championship.

What a fitting end to a fantastic four days of basketball.

Anyone else need to catch their breath?

Watching a 3-year-old tear through Christmas presents is one thing, but that seems like slow motion compared to the last four days of holiday hoops.

If the last four days have seemed like an endless run of fast-breaks, buzzer-beaters, blocked shots, bounce passes, back-door cuts and big boards -- with a little blood spilled along the way -- it's because that's just what it's been.

It's heaven for the high school basketball fan.

It's also proven to be a good barometer to see just how your team stacks up.

And it looks like the Tri-Cities teams measure up well, from Aurora Central taking third against bigger schools at Waubonsie Valley, St. Charles North's second-place finish at Jacobs, and another unforgettable four days for Batavia in Elgin.

The Elgin Tournament has treated Batavia well recently, and this year was certainly no exception.

Batavia has been coming here since the early 1990s. The Bulldogs had a strong run in 1995 and 1996, taking third and second, and added a fourth-place finish in 2001.

But these past four years have been the Bulldogs' best stretch at Elgin, starting in Nick Fruendt's freshman year with a third-place finish, winning the title as an unseeded team in 2005, taking third last year and another championship this year despite playing shorthanded.

The last four years, this tournament has been where Batavia has had a chance to play some better competition, and give its fans a taste of its potential.

Its third-place finish in 2004 foreshadowed a thrilling postseason run that saw a youthful Batavia squad upset three teams to reach the East Aurora sectional finals.

Its championship in 2005 was one of the highlights in a 28-2 season that again ended with a trip to the East Aurora sectional championship.

Even last year's semifinal loss to Highland Park proved a good indicator of how the season would play out. Batavia entered the Highland Park game unbeaten, but the defeat showed the Bulldogs weren't invincible and might some weaknesses, which East Aurora eventually exposed again when it mattered most, in the regional finals.

Could this year's championship, capped by beating an experienced, talented Wheaton North squad -- and doing it without Fruendt -- show even better things await in March?

Definitely.

Losing Fruendt seemed like a devastating blow just a couple weeks ago. Batavia lost its first game without him to Geneva, then lost again at Quincy.

But watching how well the team played at Elgin, the "everything happens for a reason" saying comes to mind. Fruendt being out could make Batavia that much stronger when he returns, with his teammates gaining confidence while he's been out.

Batavia coach Jim Roberts sounded like a broken record after the last few wins, calling them "team victories." But he couldn't be more correct.

To a man, nearly every Bulldog has stepped up without Fruendt.

Perhaps the most encouraging sign has been Ricky Clopton and Jordan Smith emerging as a duo that can hold their own inside, and often take it to their opponents. They give Batavia the inside game to match their guard play. How Smith didn't make the all-tournament team is beyond me. I figured maybe they were waiting to announce Smith last as tournament MVP.

Bryant struggled with his shot at times. But he's also proven he can play hurt, and that he can take over a game for stretches like he did at Geneva, and drain game-winning shots like he did against Wheaton North and Elgin. And he's also shown he's tough, battling for rebounds and shaking off bad backs and stitches to lead his team.

Phil Albrecht continues to be steady with the game on the line. He's money at the free-throw line while also now looking to penetrate more and set up teammates.

Stewart Charles has started in Fruendt's place and given the Bulldogs a hard-nosed defensive presence. Ben Potter, before being out sick Saturday, took the most of his opportunity by providing an offensive spark off the bench.

Fruendt has been there supporting his teammates every step of the way. If he's supposed to be getting his rest to recover, you wouldn't guess it from watching him cheer on his teammates, trying to get the Batavia crowd in the game, throwing his arms up when a bad call goes against his teammates, or bringing the first aid kit out to an injured teammate.

"I'm passionate about this," Fruendt said about how excited he got watching games on the bench.

Maybe if Fruendt didn't go down and continued getting his 20-plus points a game, some of the other players wouldn't have had this chance to shine, to develop more confidence in their own abilities.

It should be really interesting to see when Fruendt returns. That doesn't appear to be more than a couple weeks away. Fruendt will be cleared to start shooting free throws Monday, then start practicing the following week.

One thing is for sure -- Batavia is going to be tough to beat in a tight game, with player after player who can play under pressure and hit clutch shots. You've got Fruendt, you've got Albrecht whose 3 beat West Aurora last year, and now Bryant's two game-winning bombs at Elgin.

"It was a tough way to win a tournament," Bryant said, a band-aid on his forehead, smile on his face and the trophy in his hand, before wishing the reporters a Happy New Year.

Happy New Year indeed. If these last four days are any indication, we all have a lot to look forward to in 2008.