Sam Shump refers to himself as a pass-first type of player.

On Friday night, the Batavia senior guard also proved he can put the ball in the basket when his team needs some offense.

Shump scored 9 of his game-high 15 points in the third quarter, sparking a 13-1 run during the Bulldogs' 55-45 victory over St. Francis (0-2) in the 34th annual Ken Peddy Windmill City Classic in Batavia.

"I was just coming in and playing my role," Shump said in a matter-of-fact tone after helping lead the Bulldogs (2-0) to their second consecutive come-from-behind victory.

"My role is coming in and creating energy off the bench - giving us whatever we need."

What the Bulldogs needed were a few defensive stops and a little quicker offensive pace after they fell behind by as many as 4 points midway through the second quarter (18-14) and still trailed 28-27 with 3:56 remaining in the third period.

On their next possession, Shump's 3-pointer from the top of the key put the Bulldogs on top to stay at 30-28. It also ignited a 13-1 run that saw Batavia stretch its lead to 40-29 on a 3-pointer from Kyle Schroeder.

"I thought Sam came in and number one, did a great job of getting in the passing lanes on people, and number two, got the flow of the game going more to our advantage," said Bulldogs coach Jim Roberts.

"And he hit some big shots."

Shump made a lasting impression on Spartans coach Shawn Healy.

"Defensively, we had a little trouble with No. 14 (Shump)," said Healy. "He got by us a couple times. He definitely made a difference for them tonight."

Jesse Coffey added 14 points and Ricky Clopton scored all 11 of his points in the second half when the Bulldogs outscored St. Francis 34-25.

Clopton also pulled down 8 rebounds and blocked 3 shots for the Bulldogs, who trailed 9-7 after one quarter and were outrebounded 21-17 in the first half.

"I didn't think we played with great intensity (in the first half)," said Roberts. "Any time you play a St. Francis team coached by Shawn Healy, you better be ready to play because they're going to come after you."

Joe Pfeiffer had 13 points and 9 rebounds, while Mark Schmitt and Ryan Coyle each added 10 points for the Spartans, who were playing without injured senior starter Larry Murison (ankle).

"He'll probably be out 8 to 10 weeks and he's our best player," said Healy. "We miss him dearly.

"But I was really happy with our effort. If you saw our game Wednesday night (50-32 loss to Crystal Lake South), this was like a night and day difference."

Roberts will get a chance to match wits with a familiar face tonight when Batavia takes on Crystal Lake South (2-0) at 8 p.m. The Gators are coached by former Batavia player Dan DeBruycker.

"Obviously, Dan's team is playing really well," said Roberts. "If we give them free looks, they'll make us pay for it."