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Wheaton Warrenville South hands St. Charles North 1st DuKane loss

Ben Bastian has the green light to shoot, and he'll take advantage of what he gets.

Bastian, a Wheaton Warrenville South senior, is in his second year on varsity, first as a starter. After appearing in about six games last season, the 5-foot-11 guard has started in every game this year.

He certainly provided a spark Friday. Bastian scored 13 points, and the Tigers rode that and stellar defense to a 41-29 win over short-handed St. Charles North, handing the North Stars their first DuKane Conference loss.

"We take every game the same way, but this game ... we knew they hadn't lost in conference," said Bastian, who was 3-for-4 on 3-pointers. "We knew this was a big game for us. And, (we) thought we could start turning some heads if we beat them."

Bastian has turned heads at times. Memorably, he hit a buzzer-beater for the Tigers against Metamora in a tournament game at Christmas.

"Ben has hit some big shots for us," Tigers coach Michael Healy said. "We've started to shoot the ball a little bit better in the last seven or eight games, and Ben (has) been a big part of that."

"I think that as he shot better, other guys, there's just a little bit of a confidence once somebody makes one or two."

The North Stars (14-5, 6-1) were without Bradley recruit Connor Linke, out with an illness.

Ethan Marlowe and Max Love earned starts Friday, as usual starter Thomas Kellen came off the bench.

North Stars coach Tom Poulin wasn't accepting Linke's absence as an excuse.

"We have more than enough to beat that team. I feel like we should have. We really did a poor job of applying our game plan," Poulin said. "Connor would help anybody, but we didn't execute what we worked on the last two days."

The Tigers' team defense certainly did its job. Wheaton South (14-8, 3-3) took a 14-11 lead into the second quarter and held the North Stars without a field goal for eight minutes to go into halftime up 20-12. Kellen's free throw was the only ball that went through the net to coincide with six team turnovers.

Bastian and Yonatan Algawerash hit 3-pointers out of the break to keep up the hot streak for the Tigers. The North Stars pulled within nine points a few times in the third quarter, but no one could catch fire offensively.

"I thought we were pretty good defensively, and I thought we had some good energy," Healy said. "We've talked a lot about 50-50 balls, loose balls and I think we were a lot better tonight in terms of getting to them and having that mentality to get to them."

Tyler Fawcett added 11 points and 3 rebounds for WW South. Parker Brown had 8 points, while Algawerash had 7 points and 6 rebounds.

The North Stars were led by Colin Nelson and Love's 8 points apiece. Marlowe had 4 points and 4 rebounds.

Even after the disappointing loss, Poulin still maintained his team is the best in the league.

"This one was one of those days where it just didn't happen," Poulin said. "We didn't shoot well; we didn't play well. We're the best team in the conference, though. We'll go ahead and prove that the second half of the season."

"(A) 6-1 (conference record) is nothing to have your chin on your chest; we should be proud of what we've done this first half. Sitting at 14-5 against the toughest schedule you'll find. This room, they're disappointed in their performance, but I'm trying to make sure they keep things in perspective."

Wheaton Warrenville South Head Coach Michael Healy (center) gestures to his team during a game at home against St. Charles North on Jan. 24. Sandy Bressner/Shaw Media Illinois
Wheaton Warrenville South's Yonatan Algawerash (left) puts the ball up during a game at home against St. Charles North on Jan. 24. Sandy Bressner/Shaw Media Illinois
Wheaton Warrenville South's Ben Bastian (12) puts the ball up during a game at home against St. Charles North on Jan. 24. Sandy Bressner/Shaw Media Illinois
St. Charles North's Luke Scheffers looks for an opening during a game at Wheaton Warrenville South on Jan. 24. Sandy Bressner/Shaw Media Illinois
St. Charles North's Colin Nelson shoots three points during a game at Wheaton Warrenville South on Jan. 24. Sandy Bressner/Shaw Media Illinois
St. Charles North Head Coach Tom Poulin watches from the sidelines during a game at Wheaton Warrenville South on Jan. 24. Sandy Bressner/Shaw Media Illinois
Wheaton Warrenville South's Parker Brown (15) puts the ball up during a game at home against St. Charles North on Jan. 24. Sandy Bressner/Shaw Media Illinois
Wheaton Warrenville South's Tyler Fawcett (23) shoots the ball over St. Charles North's Max Love (21) during a game at Wheaton Warrenville South on Jan. 24. Sandy Bressner/Shaw Media Illinois
St. Charles North's Max Love gets the ball to the basket during a game at Wheaton Warrenville South on Jan. 24. Sandy Bressner/Shaw Media Illinois
St. Charles North's Christian Czerniak drives toward the basket during a game at Wheaton Warrenville South on Jan. 24.
St. Charles North's Luke Scheffers passes the ball during a game at Wheaton Warrenville South on Jan. 24. Sandy Bressner/Shaw Media Illinois
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