West Chicago, IL—The Wheaton Academy varsity boys basketball team opened up their 2012-2013 season tonight on their home court as part of the 6
th annual WA Thanksgiving Invite. Warrior fans, including a robust Maroon Platoon student cheering section, got their first look at this year's team, which returns six seniors in addition to some newcomers who will contribute to the team's success. Under the leadership of Coach Paul Ferguson, who enters his 7
th year as head coach of the program, the Warriors faced the Chicago Bulls College Prep Academy who are first time participants in the WA Thanksgiving Invite.
Wheaton Academy got off to a jittery start in the first quarter, plagued by a number of turnovers (both forced and unforced) and a failure to connect from outside the arc. The first quarter was marked by an unusual incident in which four of the five WA players on the court were forced to be subbed out due to traces of blood on their jerseys. This gave opportunities for WA to look to their bench to step up and carry them through the opening minutes. The Chicago Bulls Academy took an early lead, at one point leading by as much as 7 points, and closed out the first quarter with a 12-9 lead.
The home team in white began to shake off their first game nerves with an offensively explosive 2
nd quarter, racking up 22 points collectively to earn an 11-point advantage heading into the locker room at halftime. Junior big man
Gordon Behr began to become a presence around the rim, contributing 7 second quarter points as part of his 13 total first half points.
Senior
Collin Roy's consistent defensive and offensive efforts went on full display in the third quarter, knocking down a pair of three pointers to push the lead over CBA to 20 points going into the final eight minutes of play.
Jake Cousins added a number of crafty jumpers and a trio of free throws on the way to his 9 points on the night to cement the 54-33 win for the Warriors.
The Warriors, now 1-0 on the season, shot an impressive 73% from inside the arc and 31% from three point range as a team. They were 8-of-14 from the free throw line, had 11 turnovers, and 6 steals which provided energy for WA's 2
nd quarter fast break surge.
The varsity team will play again tomorrow night at 8:00 PM at home against Streamwood High School who lost to a very good Downers Grove North team in the game preceding Wheaton Academy's. The live audio broadcast of the game can be found here:
http://nhsbn.ezstream.com/play/index.cfm?id=3421FB3C61.
Lower Level Report:
The
freshmen team earned their first win of the season against Streamwood in dramatic fashion tonight on court one of the Heritage Field House. Coach
Aaron Tink's freshmen squad had possession of the ball with 6.3 seconds left in a 45-45 tie ball game. With time winding down, six-foot-one-inch Anthony Polinski received a pass a few feet outside the three point line and swished in a game-winning shot as time expired. The freshmen's 48-45 victory moves them to 1-0 on the season.
The
sophomore team's 41-36 win over Streamwood completed the basketball program's 3-for-3 night. Coach Jay Teagle's squad battled back and forth throughout the game, eventually emerging in the final minutes to slide past the sophomore Streamwood team and earn the victory, moving to 1-0 on the season.
