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Batavia turns back Streamwood upset bid

Because they upset Geneva more than a month ago for their only conference win, the Streamwood Sabres carry a reputation of "don't take them lightly."

Host Batavia didn't on Friday night in an Upstate Eight River boys basketball clash. But it still took 28 points from guard Canaan Coffey and a Houdini-type escape in the final seconds to register a 54-52 victory and keep the Sabres from notching another shocker.

Streamwood's Jake McGlone toed the free throw line, his first trip to charity stripe on the night, with 0.8 seconds left and a chance to tie the game with his team trailing by the 54-52 count.

His first attempt rimmed out, and he stepped over the line on the second when trying to bang the ball of the backboard for a potential buzzer tip-in.

Game over, and sigh of relief for Batavia (16-7, 8-0), which stayed atop the conference standings without a loss, widening its margin over Larkin and Geneva by three games with four to play.

The Bulldogs left the floor happy mainly because Coffey knocked down six 3-pointers in his barrage, while scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter. The Bulldog guard offset a big effort from the Sabres' Jaleel Jenkins, who finished with a team-high 18 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, despite some fourth-quarter foul trouble.

"We knew they were going to be a tough team coming in," said Coffey, who needs only 24 more points to reach 1,000 in his Batavia career. "They may not have the best record, but they are in every game.

"We moved the ball well, and my teammates found me around the screens, so I give them a lot of credit," Coffey added.

Streamwood (4-21, 1-9) went through the conference version of the gauntlet the past week, losing big at Geneva and at home against Larkin after hanging tough for about three quarters each time.

Against Batavia, the Sabres changed that script a bit by being quick, aggressive on the boards (whopping 41-15 rebounding edge) and engaged defensively from start to finish.

Ultimately, an 18-of-30 effort at the free-throw line and 11 second-half turnovers were too much for the Sabres to overcome, especially when Batavia made 9 treys to only 2 for Streamwood from guard Joey O'Halloran (17 points).

"We missed a ton of free throws, but overall we played well," Streamwood coach Paul Kowalyszyn said. "It's those little mistakes and things like burning a timeout early that hurt us.

"The boys tried hard, but there are no moral victories," he added. "We lost, so we have to try again."

The game was tight throughout, with Batavia holding a 25-23 lead at halftime and Streamwood streaking ahead 36-33 by going on a 9-1 run to close out the third quarter.

Coffey hit a 3-pointer from 10 feet beyond the top of the key for 40-40 tie at the 5:38 mark, and hit another a minute later for a 43-41 lead. Streamwood would only tie the game one more time at 43-43 on 2 Philip Cruz free throws.

At that point, Coffey and Colin Cheaney provided some breathing room by each hitting a trey, but Streamwood would not fold. A Jenkins rebound basket and 2 free throws by Jesse Rico brought the Sabres within 53-52 with 10.5 seconds left.

Coffey was bumped with 6.2 left on a scramble for a ball and he made 1 of 2 free throws. McGlone was fouled on a drive to the basket with less than a second left, but couldn't convert the tying charity tosses.

"Streamwood plays hard and they don't care what their record is," Batavia coach Jim Nazos said. "I had visions of their Geneva game on that last play, but we hung in and gutted out a win in the fourth quarter."

Streamwood forced the Bulldogs into a significant dogfight by crashing the boards and playing hard the entire game said Nazos, whose team played without starter John Fitch, who is nursing a sore shoulder.

"It was one of those late January, early February games that we had to gut out and win if we want to be the team we want to be," Nazos said.

The Bulldogs host their annual Night of Hoops event Saturday before heading into Geneva next Friday for a conference clash with their fierce rival.

For Streamwood, Kowalyszyn is waiting for his team to shock somebody, somewhere again.

"I am waiting for that moment where it all clicks together for us," Kowalyszyn said. "We're getting close."

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