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Aurora Christian wins 6th straight with team effort

Thursday marked a homecoming of sorts for RD Lutze when Newark visited Aurora Christian, and with the help of his teammates the junior made sure it was a happy one.

Lutze, who lives in Lisbon, would have attended Newark. Eagles fans are sure glad he's at Aurora Christian, already a two-year varsity starter who led a balanced attack with 17 points in a 74-48 victory.

"I kind of grew up with them," Lutze said of the Newark players. "I didn't hang out with a ton of them but I grew up knowing who they were and playing against them. It's nice to play against them."

Newark (3-6), playing short-handed for the final time without two key suspended players including leading scorer Jack Clausel, stayed reasonably close with Aurora Christian (6-1) for a half, scoring 21 points in the second quarter to trail 41-30 at halftime.

Will Clausel capped that half with a long 3-pointer from just inside half-court. But the Norsemen ran out of gas in the second half, getting outscored 33-18, with both coaches giving their backups plenty of playing time over the final five minutes.

"We had a little more depth than those guys," Aurora Christian coach Pat McNamara said. "We got the ball out and ran. We did a nice job moving the ball around. Everyone got a lot of touches."

Newark came out in a zone and the Eagles spent most of the first half picking it apart with quick passing. That led to one open look after another, and Aurora Christian made 7 of its 13 field goal attempts in the first quarter and 9 of 13 in the second.

"I thought we passed the ball really well today," Lutze said. "We got some easy looks down low and some open 3-pointers. It's always the most fun to play when people are looking for you and you are looking for them."

Newark got as close as 9 points in the second half, the final time at 45-36. True to their unselfish style, five different Eagles scored in a 12-2 run to close the third quarter with a commanding 57-38 lead.

"I thought they did a real nice job," Newark coach Rick Tollefson said of the Eagles. "It's been tough (playing without the 6-6 Jack Clausel). We need some muscle in there tonight. They were playing real physical."

Nobody more than Juwan Sisco who came off the bench to score 12 points. Wes Wolfe was the third Eagle in double figures with 11 while Pat McNamara and Jake Wolfe both scored 7.

"Juwan is playing great," coach McNamara said. "I like our work ethic. The guys are sharing the ball. We've got some guys who can shoot."

Timi Ajayi got in the game for the last four minutes and made a pair of free throws and both of his 3-point attempts for 8 points.

McNamara praised the defense by freshman Jake Wolfe on Will Clausel, picking up the assignment after two early fouls on Zach Singer.

"We tried to keep the ball out of his hands," McNamara said. "Wolfe played a phenomenal defensive game."

The Eagles have won six straight since a season-opening loss. They will take that streak to the Plano Holiday Tournament where the fourth-seeded Eagles - who have finished third the past two years at Plano - will open against a full-strength Newark team provided the Norsemen win their first game.

"We'll see them in a week," McNamara said. "It will be a different game."

Will Clausel led Newark with 15 points.

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