West Chicago edges Bartlett

West Chicago boys basketball coach Bill Recchia calls them "championship plays."

And if the Wildcats are to finish with at least an Upstate Eight Valley title at the end of February, the defensive stops that sealed a big 57-53 win at Bartlett Friday night could certainly bring truth to that meaning when the time occurs.

Swingman Quinn Ricci notched a block and 2 key steals in the last 4 minutes of the game, while forward Devonte Pascal's game-tying putback with 3 minutes left and guard Mike Bibbs' strip of Tyler Pauletti in the lane with 19.7 seconds remaining after Pauletti's offensive rebound registered a fourth-straight win, a season sweep of Bartlett and a 5-1 record in the UEC Valley.

"Bartlett had opportunities in this game to stretch the lead but we didn't let that happen and it shows a lot of character," said Recchia, whose team shot 2-for-8 in the fourth but sank 8-straight free throws the final 2 minutes. "We just beat a good ballclub, no ifs, ands or buts about it. To come into their place and face the adversity that we did on their floor and come out on top, (I'm) extremely proud of them."

Tai Bibbs led West Chicago (17-4) with 19 points while Mike Bibbs added 14 points and 2 steals. Both nailed 3 from deep as the Wildcats led by as many as 6 in the first half on a 12-for-25 clip from the field.

But after leading by 2 at the half, West Chicago was outscored 13-10 and Bartlett grabbed a 45-44 lead on a nice transition give-and-go between Jason Hasenberg and Ben Johnson, which Johnson (7 points) converted at the buzzer.

"It was just the long rebounds from the 3 and we weren't boxing out good enough," Ricci said of the flat third. "But we got it together and came through in the end."

Robby Jimenez' fifth 3-pointer gave the Hawks (13-10, 2-4) a 48-44 lead with 5:37 left, but West Chicago responded by changing its 1-2-2 press to a 1-3-1 which led to a 13-2 run until Jimenez knocked in the game's last shot.

"We don't give up that many points," Bibbs said of the team's 53 points allowed, which has happened just six other times. "It was obviously not the best defensive game we've had, but it was definitely important to step up the defense in the fourth quarter to win the game."

Ricci's steal with 2:42 led to a We-Go timeout and Pascal followed with 2 free throws for a 51-49 lead after he was fouled on a drive with 2:02 remaining. West Chicago could've sealed it much earlier, as Bibbs' errant inbound with 49.5 seconds left gave way to Bartlett's Benjamin Reyes' 3-point attempt from the right corner with 20 seconds left. Pauletti collected the Reyes miss, which led to Bibbs' strip and his 4 from the stripe in the final 20 seconds.

"We're inbounding the ball with the lead and Mikey turns it over," Recchia said of the possession that gave Bartlett life. "But he comes back and responds with a huge foul and knocks down the free throws and ices it for us."

Defense wasn't displayed at the start, as Bartlett led 25-21 after one as the teams combined for 11 3-pointers in the opening quarter. Jimenez led all scorers with 20 points on six 3-pointers while Hasenberg added 2 from deep for 13 points. Bartlett shot 9-for-13 the first 8 minutes but it finished with a 34.3 percent clip the final 3 quarters with 15 turnovers that led to 15 Wildcat points.

"We knew how to attack (the 1-3-1) but we weren't getting the looks we wanted out of it, and that's a testimony to their defense, it was a good switch on (Recchia's) part," said Hawks coach Jim Wolfsmith. "We've got to be strong with the ball and we weren't and we gave them some turnovers that let them get back in the lead."