Gimre, West Chicago knock down shots, East Aurora
West Chicago coach Bill Recchia has no qualms with guard Jason Gimre getting his shot up from anywhere at any time.
The senior understands the offense and knows when to take shots in rhythm, so Recchia has given him carte blanche. On Friday that meant hoisting 12 3-pointers and knocking down 5 as he helped lead the Wildcats to a 63-60 win over East Aurora.
However, if opponents confuse Gimre being a focal point of the offense with him being the entirety of the offense, that's when West Chicago (8-12, 1-5) becomes truly tough to defend.
Gimre poured in 20 points and was matched by 20 from junior guard Jordan Wilkins. Junior forward Sam Ricci also kicked in 11, and it was the spacing Gimre provided that helped make it all go.
"It just extends the defense out. When it extends the defense out, it opens things up for other people," Recchia said. "When you look there at the end, we had about an eight-pass possession that led to a (Wilkins) open 3-pointer at the top of the key."
In the first quarter even Gimre struggled to get anything to fall as East Aurora (6-13, 3-3) raced out to a 16-5 lead on the back of a 9-3 rebounding advantage. However, shots started to fall and West Chicago took advantage East Aurora foul trouble by going 7 of 8 from the free-throw line in the second quarter.
The only problem was that West Chicago still struggled getting stops defensively and East Aurora took a 30-25 lead to the break. However, in the second half, the Wildcats took it to the Tomcats on both ends of the floor to surge ahead.
West Chicago held their opponents to 9 third-quarter points and 3-of-11 shooting. Meanwhile, Gimre stayed hot, nailing a 25-footer coming off a curl to give the Wildcats a 45-36 lead with 1:47 remaining in the third quarter.
"When you're in rhythm and you're moving the ball on offense, that definitely helps you to get that shot to go in," Gimre said.
Holding a 50-39 lead entering the fourth quarter, West Chicago had to withstand a barrage from East Aurora as they ratcheted up the pressure. Tomcats wing Maurice Judon scored 10 of 12 East Aurora points during a stretch to cut the lead to 57-54 with 1:40 to play. Judon led East Aurora with 13 on the night off the bench.
However, West Chicago collectively hit 10 of 12 free throws in the fourth quarter, including their final six to extend their lead to two possessions on each of their last three trips down the floor. Wilkins hit the final four from the free-throw line, and his confidence was soaring late after such a big night.
"After I made my first two free throws, I felt like I could make any shot. So I just felt like if I was shooting those next free throws I knew they were going to go in," Wilkins said.
West Chicago has won back-to-back games after losing seven in a row and now the Wildcats are feeling like they're cresting at the right time with postseason play around the corner.
"Who we are is a young team getting better each and every time we step on the floor," Recchia said. "Once we understand what we can and, more importantly, what we can't do, that's when we become a dangerous basketball team."