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Wheaton Academy wins in overtime

An emphatic dunk in overtime by Wheaton Academy senior Wes Koral powered the Warriors to a 50-46 come-from-behind win over Downers Grove North on Tuesday.

The Warriors (2-0) are the only undefeated team left in their season-opening Thanksgiving tournament.

Wheaton Academy trailed by 3 with 12 seconds left in regulation, but Tate Fritz drilled a 3-pointer to extend the game.

“We ran a set for Fritz to put it into overtime and he said, ‘I got it coach run it for me,'” said Warriors coach Paul Ferguson.

The Warriors offense failed to score a single field goal in the second quarter. The Trojans began to score from every angle on the court, and Wheaton Academy finished the quarter with just one made free throw.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Downers North seniors Tom Wengren and Ross Johnson allowed the Trojans to take their largest lead of the game.

The Trojans continued to put pressure on Wheaton Academy and jumped out to a 21-11 lead at halftime.

“We didn't play well in the second, but we regrouped at halftime,” Ferguson said. “We didn't get mad, we buckled down. We knew we'd play better.”

Koral and senior Luke Johnson clawed the Warriors out of their shooting slump in the third quarter. The pair combined for 13 points in the first six minutes of the third.

Wengren's four baskets were the only Trojans points in the third quarter. Wengren finished the game with 19 points. The Trojans were outscored 20-8 in the third and trailed 31-29 going into the fourth quarter.

“That was a big turning point in the game,” Koral said.

The Trojans bounced back from their slow third quarter by outscoring Wheaton Academy 14-12 in the fourth, but it wasn't enough to keep the game from overtime.

The home fans went wild as Koral eluded his defender, dribbled once and slammed in a dunk to give the Warriors a 46-43 lead with two minutes left in overtime.

“I was hyped,” Koral said. “Everyone was getting into it and it was nice.”

Shortly after Koral's dunk, Johnson swished his second 3-pointer of the night to seal the victory for Wheaton Academy.

“(Johnson's 3) really took the air out of them,” Koral said. “We're now starting to jell as a team.”

PAUL MICHNA/Pmichna@dailyherald.comLuke Thorson of Wheaton Academy goes up for a shot during the Downers Grove North at Wheaton Academy boys basketball game Tuesday.
PAUL MICHNA/Pmichna@dailyherald.comDowners Grove North at Wheaton Academy boys basketball Tuesday. Wheatons coach Paul Ferguson.