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W. Aurora leaves Waubonsie behind

All that prevented West Aurora from recording a first-quarter shutout Tuesday at Waubonsie Valley was Chris Karkazis' one-handed, half-court swish at the buzzer.

"I really thought the ball went underneath the rim and hit the net," said West Aurora coach Gordie Kerkman.

Merely wishful thinking, but his Blackhawks fulfilled most wishes in a 73-38 win over Waubonsie, the Aurora teams' first boys basketball game as Valley Division opponents in the Upstate Eight Conference.

Led by point guard Matt Dunn, shooting guard Marquis Howard and forward Roland Griffin, West Aurora (12-6, 5-2) made 8 of 12 first-quarter shots to Waubonsie's 1 of 11 plus 6 turnovers for a 19-3 lead after eight minutes.

"Altering shots, they've always got their hands on the ball and stuff like that," Warriors coach Chaz Taft explained. "They do a great job of just digging in and just being more aggressive than our guys. I think that when you have a combination of quickness and being aggressive, that's really going to bother us."

Waubonsie Valley (7-12, 2-7) caught a little spark in the second quarter with Brian Phillips scoring all 8 of his points. With the way West Aurora was working the ball offensively and pressuring defensively there was no coming back.

Waubonsie moved to a 2-3 zone in the second quarter and West Aurora went 7 of 10 from the floor, getting a pair of Reggie Jordan 3-pointers and 1 apiece from Dunn and freshman Camron Donatlan. West Aurora shot 28 of 44 for the game.

"I think we shot the ball very good," said Dunn, whose season-high 20 points led Griffin, Donatlan and Howard in double figures. "And we got to the basket in the zone, which is always good. We were very unselfish tonight."

The Blackhawks led 38-13 at halftime, 50-26 after three quarters. Antwan Ahmed capped West Aurora's scoring on a 3 that had teammates cheering and summarized 9-of-10 fourth-quarter shooting.

Griffin got the defensive nod against Karkazis and early the 6-foot-6 Illinois State recruit's length contained Waubonsie's point guard. In the second half Karkazis scored 13 of his 16 points and hit three of his four 3-point baskets.

"He's able to guard a point guard, he's able to guard a big. He can do a lot of things," Taft said of Griffin.

"We did a pretty good job on him," said Griffin, who began a 14-point night with a steal and dunk. "That was our main focus going into the game, shut him down and then close out on all the shooters."

  Darnell Smith of Waubonsie takes one to the net as Thomas Koth of West Aurora attempts to block during the West Aurora at Waubonsie Valley boys basketball game Thursday. Paul Michna/pmichna@dailyherald.com
  Darnell Smith of Waubonsie goes up for a rebound during the West Aurora at Waubonsie Valley boys basketball game Tuesday. Paul Michna/pmichna@dailyherald.com
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