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Bartlett knocks off West Aurora to take UEC Valley lead

If there was any doubt before Wednesday night that the Bartlett boys basketball team was the real deal there shouldn't be now after the Hawks knocked off visiting West Aurora 60-53 to move into sole possession of first place in the Upstate Eight Valley Division.

Both teams entered the contest at 4-0 in the division. After a 2-5 start the Hawks have now won 9 of their last 11 to improve to 11-7 overall and 5-0 in the Valley Division.

West Aurora was able to hold the Hawks' leading scorer on the season, Ben Tompson, to just 6 points, but Austin Gates stepped up to lead Bartlett with a game-high 22 points.

The Hawks showed incredible poise down the stretch for a team that starts just one senior. Trailing 51-50 with just over a minute to play in the game Gates, just a sophomore, went strong to the basket for a layup and was fouled. He hit the free throw to convert the 3-point play and give Bartlett the lead for good 53-51.

After a West Aurora turnover on a traveling call and a technical foul for disputing the call, Gates knocked down a pair of free throws. Ben Fisher added a 3-point play and Tompson sank 2 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

"I knew at the beginning of the year we had a good young team," Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith said. "It was just a matter of them learning to play at this level. That learning curve has been a lot faster than what I expected. I have just been really impressed with how they execute in crunchtime. They are fearless."

The Hawks trailed throughout the first half, falling behind by as many as 9 points early on but finally grabbed the lead 44-42 with 5:48 left in the third quarter on a 3-pointer from Gates, who added another 3-pointer later in the quarter. Gates was also 7-for-7 from the free throw line. The Hawks as a team were 21-for-24 from the line.

"Ben has a target on his back," Gates said. "And they were doing everything they could to shut him down. But we do a good job of sharing the basketball and that gave me some opportunities. Sometimes you hit a couple shots and catch fire. That's what happened for me tonight. I was seeing the basket good and wanted the ball in my hands at the end of the game."

The game remained tight until the Hawks closed with their 10-2 run.

After a strong start the Blackhawks (13-6, 4-1), who were coming off playing 4 games in a tournament over the weekend, seemed to tire and faded down the stretch.

"It was one of those games where we just made mistakes at the wrong time," West Aurora coach Brian Johnson said. "Give Bartlett credit. They played poised and we didn't. They made big plays down the stretch and we didn't. They executed and we didn't. And that's why we are chasing them in the division now."

Cameron Donatlan had 13 points to lead West Aurora in scoring. Damien Virgen added 11 points.

Images: West Aurora vs. Bartlett, boys basketball

  Bartlett's Ben Fisher, center, battles West Aurora's Jared Crutcher, left, and Travon Avery for the ball at Bartlett Wednesday night. Patrick Kunzer/pkunzer@dailyherald.com
  Bartlett's Austin Gates takes a jumper against West Aurora during varsity boys basketball at Bartlett Wednesday night. Patrick Kunzer/pkunzer@dailyherald.com
  West Aurora's Jared Crutcher moves to the hoop during varsity boys basketball at Bartlett Wednesday night. Patrick Kunzer/pkunzer@dailyherald.com
  West Aurora's Travon Avery looks for the hoop during varsity boys basketball at Bartlett Wednesday night. Patrick Kunzer/pkunzer@dailyherald.com
  Bartlett's Jake Ibegbulem, left, and West Aurora's Caleb Siler go up for a rebound during varsity boys basketball at Bartlett Wednesday night. Patrick Kunzer/pkunzer@dailyherald.com
  West Aurora's DaQuan Cross scoots to the hoop during varsity boys basketball at Bartlett Wednesday night. Patrick Kunzer/pkunzer@dailyherald.com
  West Aurora's DaQuan Cross takes an outside jumper during varsity boys basketball at Bartlett Wednesday night. Patrick Kunzer/pkunzer@dailyherald.com
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