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Bartlett maturing ahead of schedule

No more flying under the radar for the first-place Bartlett Hawks.

Bartlett (11-7, 5-0) grabbled sole possession of first place in the Upstate Eight Valley with Wednesday's 60-53 home win over division co-leader West Aurora (13-6, 4-1).

The Hawks entered the season as a dark horse due to an influx of competitive players who won the UEC Valley title as sophomores, including guards Ben Tompson and Tomas Vikonis, not to mention the addition of talented sophomore Austin Gates.

Guided by a scant few seniors like Drew Martin, the young group has found their varsity legs ahead of schedule, according to their coach.

"I honestly didn't expect them to be playing the kind of basketball they have been against the kind of competition they have been at this point in the year," 10th-year Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith said. "They played with poise (Wednesday) night at the end of the game, which was a tight, back-and-forth game for the last two minutes. I didn't expect that of them on a consistent basis, yet that's what we've seen."

Bartlett hit a few bumps in the road in early December with consecutive losses to Geneva, Notre Dame and St. Charles North, three teams with a combined record of 49-7.

The Hawks have since won 9 of 11, including victories over West Chicago (13-4), Barrington (12-5) and NIC-10 leader Rockford Boylan (17-4).

Though West Aurora made a point of limiting leading scorer Tompson to 6 points, he still led the team in assists, Wolfsmith said. Meanwhile, Gates made the Blackhawks pay by finishing with 22 points, underscoring the unit's versatility.

"They take lessons from their mistakes and try not to make the same mistake again," Wolfsmith said of his players. "It's been impressive how this group has accelerated their learning curve. I expected these kind of games from them next year, not necessarily this year. It's exciting for me as a coach to see them pushing the envelope."

The Hawks get a shot at one of the hottest teams in the area Saturday when they visit Fremd (16-0), the top-ranked team in the Daily Herald Top 20. Bartlett entered the week ranked No. 18.

"Fremd plays how every high school basketball team wants to play," Wolfsmith said. "They're disciplined, they share the ball, they're patient on offense, handle it well, shoot it well and they're well coached. They play the game the right way. It's going to be a great test for us to be playing, arguably, the hottest team in the suburbs."

Thumbs-down: Kaneland 6-foot-3 forward Blake Feiza might miss the remainder of the season.

The junior forward dislocated a thumb during a game against Hampshire on Saturday at the Burlington Central MLK Tournament.

Feiza, who led Kaneland in both scoring (12 ppg) and rebounding (4.6 rpg), will get an MRI but is expected to miss six weeks, coach Joe Conroy said.

The Knights open regional play at either Marmion or Sycamore the week of February 27.

Storm surge: There was no buzz surrounding South Elgin basketball at season's outset, but a buzz is building.

Not much was expected of the Storm in 2016-17. Not only had top guard Anthony Lynch transferred to Larkin, the program was starting over with its fourth coach in a five-year span.

Yet, since a 12-point home loss to rival Bartlett on Dec. 16, South Elgin has won 9 of 12, including a 4-0 performance last weekend at the J-Hawk MLK Showcase at Rockford Jefferson and Thursday night's 67-61 UEC Valley win over West Chicago.

First-year coach Brett Johnson, an underlevel coach within the program since 2008, was coaching the freshmen B team this time last year. Now, he has the varsity buying into his schemes. South Elgin's five-out motion offense last weekend averaged 64.5 points in 4 wins over Guilford, Harlem, Johnsburg and Belvidere.

"I think the kids are starting to understand what I'm trying to get out of them and they're working together," Johnson said. "We've been in tight games the entire year but we're winning those games now because we're starting to work as a unit and believe in the system and it's paying off."

South Elgin is paced by leading score Logan Atkins. Playing for his third coach in four varsity season, the 6-foot-3 senior averaged 16.3 ppg in the 4 wins at Jefferson.

"Logan is playing well. He's buying in and knocking down a lot of open shots," Johnson said. "But it's everybody. Collin Uveges guards the other team's best player, (6-5 sophomore) Vince Miszkiewicz is picking it up and is more aggressive and assertive. He had a few more dunks over the weekend. And Kreon (Roberts) and CJ (Bradford) are seniors who didn't play last year who have brought us a lot of energy.

"I'm proud of my team and (assistant) coach (Steve) Szpejnowski has been great. My hope is we can win some tougher games against some conference opponents and put us in position to compete for a regional championship."

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