advertisement

Aurora Christian routs St. Edward

Before the season began, Aurora Christian boys basketball coach Dan Beebe felt that Jake Wolfe might be one of his team's most improved players in 2017-2018.

Considering the fact that Wolfe earned IBCA second team All-State accolades a year ago, that is a telling statement.

Wolfe, a 6-foot-4 senior guard, turned in a scintillating all-around performance with 30 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and a pair of steals while leading Aurora Christian (2-0) to a convincing 80-57 victory over previously unbeaten St. Edward (4-1) in Tuesday night's opening round of the Burney Wilkie Classic in Aurora.

The Lipscomb University-bound Wolfe provided an early spark with 7 points and 4 assists in the first quarter as the Eagles grabbed a 24-9 lead.

Led by senior A.J. Franklin (14 points), the Green Wave went on an 8-0 run late in the second quarter to pull within 6 at 35-29 before Wolfe collected the ball at midcourt and drove down the lane for a thunderous tomahawk slam dunk to end the first half.

Aurora Christian put the game out of reach with a 17-1 surge during the first 4 minutes of the third quarter that extended its lead to 54-30.

Sophomore Will Wolfe (16 points) and his older brother, Jake, combined for 21 third-quarter points.

"We played well," said Beebe. "Offensively, we spread the floor and had some good looks at the basket. We penetrated, kicked and found the open man. Against a good defensive team like St. Ed's, you have to do that."

It doesn't hurt when you have a player like Jake Wolfe around, either.

Wolfe scored 10 points, including back-to-back 3-pointers, in the first 2:40 of the fourth quarter before receiving a well-deserved rest.

"He's a four-year starter," Beebe said of Wolfe. "He's one of our better defenders and offensively, he can go inside and he can go outside."

"After the (Illinois) Wolves' July session, I have a lot of confidence," said Wolfe, who finished with four 3-pointers. "My shot improved a lot. I'm just feeling really good about my game right now."

Sophomore guard Taaj Davis added 20 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals for the Eagles.

"Taaj had a solid game all the way through," said Beebe. "It's a good win."

Aurora Christian outscored St. Edward 27-9 in the decisive third quarter.

"Coach (Beebe) said in the locker room at halftime that the first three minutes of the second half were going to be vital," said Wolfe.

Will Gaston added 10 points for the Green Wave.

"That's a really good basketball team," St. Edward coach P.J. White said of Aurora Christian. "The problem was we used up all our energy to get back in the game. We cut the lead to six and then came out in the third quarter and we were gassed.

"It's a learning curve for us. We come to this tournament so we can play teams that are a lot better than us so we get better."

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.