Geneva heads into 2nd half tied for DKC lead

So far, so good.

Geneva (19-1, 6-1) finished the first half of the inaugural DuKane Conference boys basketball season tied for the top spot with Wheaton North (13-7, 6-1).

Here comes Round 2.

The Vikings begin their second swing through the new league on Friday when they welcome Wheaton Warrenville South (15-6, 4-3), tied for third place with St. Charles East (11-10, 4-3).

Geneva edged the Tigers 52-49 in Wheaton on Nov. 30. The Vikings' 52 points against the Wheaton zone defense tied their third-lowest scoring output this season.

"They're just so disciplined. That zone is tough," Geneva senior point guard Jack McDonald said. "You definitely have to be unselfish with the ball and hit outside shots.

"They pressure the ball, too, so you have to protect. If we treat the ball like we have been, we should be fine."

The Vikings have won 4 straight since suffering their first loss, a 62-56 setback at Lake Park on Jan. 11.

"I think that woke us up a little bit," McDonald said. "It was a good thing for us, to be honest. It's basketball at midseason; You're going to lose a game. It was a conference loss and that really hurt, but we've still got the second half. Hopefully, we'll get things done."

Streaking: West Aurora boys basketball is on a second-half tear.

Sound familiar?

The Upstate Eight Conference-leading Blackhawks (18-3, 11-0) have won 9 straight games since a Dec. 27 loss to Oak Park-River Forest at the Pontiac Holiday Tournament.

Last season, West Aurora won 17 straight in the wake of a loss at Pontiac. Its next defeat came at the hands of eventual Class 4A state champion Belleville West in a supersectional.

"We're really excited with how things are going," West Aurora coach Brian Johnson said, "but we're trying to keep understanding that just because we've won 9 games in a row, every game is still a tough game. We can't just assume we're going to keep winning because every night we're going to get teams' best effort."

West Aurora holds a 2-game lead over South Elgin heading into Friday's UEC game at West Chicago (8-13, 2-9).

The Blackhawks square off against St. Charles East (11-10) on Saturday at Batavia's 26th Annual Jim & Sylvia Roberts Night of Hoops, tip 4:30 p.m.

"Playing at Batavia, all the kids enjoy that atmosphere," Johnson said. "They'll be ready to roll. But we have to get the most important game, that conference win, on Friday night. That's going to be a tough task."

Johnson lauded the recent play of starting guards Marquise Walker and Trae Brown along with some less-heralded reserves. He said the success the Blackhawks have experienced to this point would not have been possible without the unsung play of three juniors: 5-foot-8 guard Logan Mont, 6-5 forward Axel Motola and 6-4 forward Dimitrios Bazos.

"They have put in huge minutes for us," Johnson said. "They can give our starting five a breather and not skip a beat. Our depth has helped us out a lot."

St. Charles East lost its last two games against Romeoville and Glenbard West and 3 of its 4 overall.

"Obviously, West Aurora is very hot," St. Charles East coach Pat Woods said. "I think it's important for us to care of the ball against their pressure. That's a very good defensive team. That's something we've been up and down with this season, hence, our season has been up and down.

"We also need to finish around the rim better. That's something we've struggled with of late."

Night of Hoops schedule: The matchup between West Aurora and St. Charles East on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. is one part of a varsity quadrupleheader at the 26th Annual Jim & Sylvia Roberts Night of Hoops at Batavia.

The four varsity games (preceded by four sophomore games) begin with DeKalb (10-10) vs. St. Joseph (8-12) at 3 p.m.

Following the West Aurora-St. Charles East tilt, Downers Grove North (15-7) takes on Southwest Prairie Conference leader Oswego East (15-5) at 6 p.m.

The showcase concludes with host Batavia (10-11) taking on Willowbrook (10-9) at 7:30 p.m.

"They're having a great season," Batavia coach Jim Nazos said of Willowbrook. "They just came off a game where they beat Oswego East. They're talented and they play hard with (junior guard Everett) Stubblefield and (senior guard Matas) Masys."

The Bulldogs went 1-3 last weekend at the Rockford Jefferson MLK Invite. They lost to Guilford, T.F. North and Harlem and defeated Belvidere.

"We struggled a little bit but we won our last game," Nazos said. "We've been up and down here lately. We're just seeking consistency."