Elgin makes a statement with win over Batavia
Finishing 4-1 in the West Chicago Thanksgiving tournament was a step in the right direction for the Elgin boys basketball team, but beating the defending Upstate Eight River Division champion Batavia on Friday night 64-60 at Chesbrough Field House was a giant leap.
Reggie Cole, who was ineligible for the games at West Chicago, returned to lead the Maroons with 17 points. Tim Wolf added 16 points, including the go-ahead basket midway through the fourth quarter.
"Knocking off the defending conference champions is always a big win," Elgin coach Mike Sitter said. "But what I was even more impressed with was the way we played in a close game. We were not scared. We were not nervous. I think that says a lot about our leadership with guys like Reggie, and Tim, and Courtese (Cooper)."
The Maroons led by as many as 9 points in the third quarter, but Batavia rallied to tie the game at 57-57 on a pair of free throws by Colin Cheaney with 4:18 left to play. However, the Maroons answered right with a 3-pointer by Wolf to take the lead for good 60-57.
"Tim Wolf had an excellent game not only on offense, but also on defense," Sitter said. "We know he can shoot and when he gets hot like tonight he can put up some points. Defense is usually a weakness for him, but tonight he really got after it on both ends."
Tre Morris hit 3-of-4 clutch free throws down the stretch and Titus Ahrens had a free throw in the final seconds to help seal the win.
The Maroons (5-1, 1-0) trailed 23-16 after the first quarter, but trimmed the deficit to 33-29 by halftime. and then exploded for 25 points in the third quarter. Cole hit a 3-pointer to open the second half and Cooper followed with a long jumper to put the Maroons ahead 34-33.
The Bulldogs briefly regained the lead 38-34 before Elgin went on a 17-4 run to take its biggest lead of the game 51-42 with just over a minute to play in the third quarter.
"We just allowed them to run sets and gave them to much room to shoot in the first quarter and they scored 23 points on us," Sitter said. "We started to turn it around in the second quarter when we were able to get more pressure on the ball and get them out of their comfort zone. That got us going on the other end too. Our defense is always our best offense."
Cole added another 3-pointer and a layup during the third quarter run.
"It felt great to be back out there," Cole said. "I was missing it watching from the bench. I was glad to be playing again and able to contribute. The game just started flowing for me. It was a big win for us. Some people were saying we beat some easy teams at West Chicago, but beating Batavia is a big win for us."
Cole's return couldn't have come at a better time. Cooper, the Maroons' leading scorer, came into the game struggling with a stiff back and then got into foul trouble early and was limited to just 5 points.
"Reggie can score in bunches," Sitter said. 'We needed his offense with Courtese limited. Plus our sophomore starting point guard was struggling a little bit tonight, so Reggie stepped in and did a lot of the ballhandling for us too.'
Morris had 8 points off the bench for the Maroons and helped to spearhead the defensive effort.
Cheaney led Batavia with 25 points. However, the Bulldogs (2-3, 0-1), who have stumbled out of the gate, were plagued by mistakes.
"When you allow the other team 35 extra possessions with 26 turnovers and giving up 9 offensive rebounds you are just not going to win many games that way," Batavia coach Jim Nazos said. "Give a lot of credit to Elgin. They played really hard and have a lot of weapons. For us we have to go back to the drawing board and find a way to get better."