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Waubonsie Valley defense grinds out third straight victory

It would have been tough to confuse Waubonsie Valley’s offense with a thing of beauty.

The Warriors’ defense turned out to be the pageant winner Monday night.

Their boys basketball team advanced to the consolation championship game at York’s 40th annual Jack Tosh Holiday Classic with a teeth-pulling 36-25 victory over Timothy Christian in Elmhurst.

Bouncing back from a tough first-round loss to Gordon Tech, the Warriors’ third straight win earns them a noon game against Kenwood on Tuesday.

A consolation title wasn’t the plan entering the Tosh, but Waubonsie Valley (8-6) gladly would take home the hardware after working hard through the opposite half of the bracket.

“Win and advance, that’s what it’s about right now,” said Warriors coach Chaz Taft. “We approach every game like it’s a championship game. We’ll go all out no matter who we’re playing.”

Timothy Christian (8-5) also did a nice job defensively while stymieing the Warriors’ offense with a 2-3 zone, but Waubonsie Valley managed to hit four of its six 3-pointers while building a first-half lead.

The game’s deliberate pace inevitably played into the Warriors’ favor as their lead grew.

“This is the first game we’ve had like this, and we just adjusted really well,” said 6-foot-7 Warriors senior Jack Cordes, who drew the tough assignment of guarding Trojans leading scorer Connor VanderBrug. “We did what it took to win.”

After Waubonsie Valley held Timothy Christian scoreless during a 7-minute, 46-second span in the first half, the Trojans endured a 4:52 drought in the second half. A mild 8-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters, highlighted by Jay DeHaan’s second 3-pointer, put the Warriors safely ahead at 26-17 early in the final frame.

DeHaan led the Warriors with 14 points, while Khali Valrie paced Timothy Christian with 14 points.

“I don’t know if it was a fatigue factor or what,” said Trojans coach Jack LeGrand. “They just did a good job taking us out of anything we wanted to do.”

Kenwood 49, Wheaton North 47:The Falcons (8-4) fell short in their bid for a spot in the Tosh Holiday Classic consolation final when a jumper by Kenwood#146;s Xavier Edwards broke a tie with 14 seconds left.Wheaton North tried to work for a tying or winning shot in the waning seconds, but a turnover ended the game. #147;We didn#146;t play poorly by any means, we just had stretches in the game where we had too many mistakes,#148; said Falcons coach Dave Brackmann. Wheaton North held a 32-28 lead midway through the third quarter after John Coolidge put back a bucket and hit a pair of free throws. Kenwood (6-6), however, responded with a 12-0 run sparked by 7 third-quarter turnovers by Wheaton North.Trailing 40-32 heading to the fourth quarter, the Falcons spent the bulk of the final eight minutes in rally-mode. Following a Kenwood turnover, Andrew Slivinski#146;s 3-pointer with 54 seconds left knotted the score at 47 apiece before Edwards#146; game-winning jumper.Rahamanh Katumbusi led the Broncos with 13 points. Slivinski#146;s 10 points were tops for the Falcons.York 56, Lyons Twp. 42:The Dukes (12-0) advanced to the Tosh Holiday Classic title game with a semifinal victory over their West Suburban Silver rivals.Frank Toohey scored 20 points and grabbed 7 rebounds for York, which faces Lake Forest in the final at 3 p.m. Tuesday. Harrison Niego scored 18 points for the Lions (8-4).Follow Kevin on Twitter @kevin_schmit 22394000Waubonsie Valley’s Jay DeHaan takes a shot over Timothy Christian’s Wes Ditchfield during the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic at York High School Monday.Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com 31244000Timothy Christian’s Malik Hughes takes a shot over Waubonsie Valley defenders during the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic at York High School Monday.Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com 29064000Waubonsie Valley’s Matt Gialamas scrambles out of some tight coverage with control of the ball against Timothy Christian. during the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic at York High School Monday.Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com 22334000Waubonsie Valley’s Jay DeHaan goes up for a shot getting past Timothy Christian’s Joe Bishop during the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic at York High School Monday.Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com 39784000Timothy Christian’s Malik Hughes looks to drive the ball down the court during the Trojans 36-25 loss to Waubonsie Valley during the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic at York High School Monday.Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com

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