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Griffin, West Aurora too much for Waubonsie Valley

West Aurora had a six-year home winning streak while qualifying for three Class AA boys basketball state tournaments between 2001 and 2006.

The Blackhawks concluded their regular season Wednesday night at home with the same type of homecourt dominance.

Waubonsie Valley, playing its final game in the Upstate Eight Conference, had more turnovers than points in the first half as Roland Griffin single-handedly outscored the Warriors during the sequence.

The Illinois State-bound forward had 16 of his game-high 24 points in the first two quarters to frame the Blackhawks' 65-35 Valley victory in Aurora.

"We like to play at home," said West Aurora senior Tommy Koth, who had 6 of the Blackhawks' 13 steals that led to countless easy scores. "The crowd gets us amped up."

In capturing all eight home games, the average margin of victory for the Blackhawks was almost 23 points per game.

"It's a very intimidating place to play," Waubonsie Valley coach Chaz Taft said.

West Aurora (18-8, 10-4) scored on its opening seven possessions and never looked back in assembling an insurmountable 41-11 lead at halftime.

The Blackhawks' relentless pressure forced Waubonsie Valley (10-16, 3-11) into 17 turnovers over the first three quarters; conversely, West Aurora had but 4 miscues during the period.

"They had a lot of points off those turnovers," Taft said.

"When we stay focused, we don't turn the ball over too much," said West Aurora coach Gordie Kerkman, who was honored in a pregame ceremony for becoming the fifth boys coach in state history to win 800 games.

Griffin was an unstoppable force for West Aurora, scoring on a variety of reverse layups, power moves and putbacks.

The senior exited the game moments after a vicious one-handed, alley-oop dunk provided by guard Marquis Howard.

"I was trying to stay aggressive," Griffin said. "Any time I see a guard on the break, I look for a lane."

The 6-foot-6 forward cited the Blackhawks' "lockdown defense" as the central difference-maker.

"That's the way I like to see (Griffin) play," Kerkman said.

Freshman Camron Donatlan added 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for West Aurora.

Chris Karkazis' 14 points paced Waubonsie Valley, but the Warriors' other four starters could only manage 2 points between them.

Both teams return to the Blackhawks' Class 4A regional next week.

"I think they're going to make some noise in the state tournament," Taft said of West Aurora.

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