Batavia starts fast, blows by Kaneland
Batavia wasted no time taking control of its season opener Monday night against Kaneland at the 43rd annual Windmill City Classic.
It took four seconds for Aiden Carlson to score a layup and get fouled off the opening tip, four minutes for Batavia to build a 14-0 lead, and by the time four quarters were in the books Batavia had a 63-34 victory.
As has become tradition lately, the basketball team is starting the season with a few pieces in flux thanks to another long run by the football team.
"They've had a really good couple weeks of practice with the smaller roster," Batavia coach Jim Nazos said.
"I thought it was a great team effort. People laugh sometimes when they look down our bench and see 20, 22. You never know when an opportunity presents itself. The goal is to develop many. A lot of these guys have an opportunity with the extended run with football. They took full advantage of it."
Kaneland (0-1) turned the ball over on its first three possessions. Charlie Grimm and Carlson scored in transition to make it 7-0.
Junior Jayden Johnson, one of the veterans on Batavia, got on the board with a free throw and then a couple inside baskets, and 6-foot-7 center Marko Yager also scored for the 14-0 start.
"We have a lot of young guys now so it's just getting them through things and helping them out with the Xs and Os and what it takes to get a 'W,'" Johnson said. "They have been doing a great job listening. I like where we are at right now."
One of those young guys is freshman Kyle Neibch. He hit three straight 3-pointers to end the second quarter and buried another in the third quarter for a 12-point debut.
"It was just a great experience and just a dream come true," Neibch said. "(I was nervous) and then hit my first one and it felt good. I just came in confident."
Batavia didn't shoot the ball great at 41 percent (23 for 56) but much better than Kaneland at 32.5 (14 for 43) and just 2 of 8 at the free-throw line. The Knights also committed 21 turnovers to Batavia's 8 and were outrebounded 37-27.
Bryce Ebert's field goal accounted for the only first-quarter points for the Knights, who trailed 14-2 after one quarter, 37-16 at halftime and 53-27 after three quarters in the first game under new coach Russ Zick.
"They were more physical than we were and got in the passing lanes and our kids had trouble getting any kind of offense started," Zick said. "Things just ballooned from there. Batavia really put it on us. Batavia didn't allow us to do much of anything we wanted to the whole game."
Ebert led Kaneland with 14 points. Nobody else had more than 5.
"Bryce played with a certain fortitude we admire," Zick said.
Johnson finished with 19 points and 6 rebounds and Yager had 11 to join Neibch in double figures for Batavia.
The Bulldogs return to action Wednesday against Marmion. The Knights play again Tuesday against the Cadets who won their opener Monday over Chicago Austin.
"Good way to start the season and see how we do Wednesday," Nazos said. "We'll be a work in progress for a few weeks."