Cooper, Batavia head to Tosh quarterfinals

Little things can add up to big victories.

At 5-foot-10, Riley Cooper isn't going to be confused with a low-post player anytime soon.

However, Cooper isn't afraid to battle for rebounds, either.

The senior point guard came up with a key offensive rebound that eventually resulted in his 3-point basket that extended Batavia's lead to 50-44 over Highland Park (5-5) with 4:03 remaining.

From there, the Bulldogs (9-2) finished the game on a 10-2 run during their 60-46 victory in Wednesday night's second round of the 44th annual Jack Tosh Holiday Classic held at Elmhurst's York High School.

"I thought there were a lot of little things that you have to have to beat a team like that," said Batavia coach Jim Nazos. "There were different guys doing different things at different times."

For Cooper, who scored 7 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter, grabbing the crucial offensive rebound was simply a matter of doing anything to help his team win.

"Playing against a zone (defense), one thing that 'Naz' (Nazos) stressed this morning was getting rebounds because in a zone it is tougher to block out," said Cooper. "Actually, it bounced off (teammate Andrew) Heinz so he did a nice job getting out there."

A few moments later, teammate Eric Peterson found Cooper open in the corner and he knocked down his third 3-pointer of the contest.

"That's what happens," added Cooper. "You get offensive rebounds and then they get flustered. We got an open look and we made it."

"That was a big possession," said Highland Park coach Paul Harris. "I was pleased with where we were and how things were going but we just couldn't get the big stop to get us over the hump."

Trailing 25-24 at halftime, the Bulldogs outscored the Giants 14-6 in the first 5:18 of the third quarter to grab a 38-31 lead.

Senior Blake Carlson scored 6 points during the surge while Kyle LeFevre (13 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists) and Cooper connected on 3-pointers.

"Offensively, I thought we did a great job of making the extra pass and hitting the open guy," said Nazos, whose team converted 10 of 22 from beyond the 3-point arc. "I know good shooting always helps but we got to the rim a lot, too."

Meanwhile, Peterson turned in another superb all-around effort with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocked shots while limiting Highland Park leading scorer Ziv Tal to just 7 points.

"Not a lot of people know how good he is defensively," Nazos said of Peterson. "They might think the best player is an offensive guy but he's hands down our best defensive guy."

"We knew he (Tal) was their leading scorer and that he could shoot and drive," said Peterson. "A big part was staying focused the entire time and keeping in front of him."

Advancing to the tourney quarterfinals for the first time, Batavia will face Naperville North Thursday night.

Dan Michelon scored 19 points for Highland Park, which saw its 5-game winning streak snapped.