Hillside, IL—Wheaton Academy recovered after Wednesday night's lackluster performance against Morgan Park in spectacular fashion on Thursday night, playing a solid 32 minutes of basketball to defeat Chicago Catholic league powerhouse Fenwick High School 62-47.
From start to finish, a different Wheaton Academy squad took the Proviso West fieldhouse court on Thursday night. The team showed tremendous offensive discipline, limited their turnovers to 14, won the rebounding battle (35-21), and went 23-for-25 from the free throw line.
Although the Warriors jumped out to a slim 13-9 lead after the first quarter, a persistent Fenwick team stayed close behind through the final minutes of the fourth quarter. A made free throw by
Gordon Behr with 1:34 left in the second quarter extended WA's lead to the biggest of the game, 21-12, but the Friars responded in the remaining minute and half with a 7-0 run to narrow the lead to just two points, 21-19 at halftime.
Clutch free throw shooting from senior captain
Collin Roy (19 points) in the third and fourth quarters (12-for-13) helped the Warriors gain momentum. Consistent tough play from
Gabe Partain (11 points, 5 rebounds), and a forceful rebounding presence by
Jake Cousins (11 rebounds), rounded out by good decision making by
Gordon Behr (21 points, 6 rebounds) made it tough for Fenwick to get anything going offensively in the remaining minutes. Two made free throws by Partain with 1:19 extended the Warriors' lead to 15 and sealed the deal for the Warriors, who earned their first ever win in the Proviso West Holiday Tournament.
Wheaton Academy shot 38.6 percent (17-of-44) from the floor, but was nearly flawless from the foul line, hitting 23-of-25 attempts (92.0 percent). Fenwick shot 42.5 percent (17-of-40) from the field, but just 50 percent (10-of-20) from the free throw line. Wheaton Academy also enjoyed a 35-21 edge in rebounding, including a 12-5 edge on the offensive glass, resulting in 13 second chance points.
Fenwick was led by Michael Smith's 10 points. Thomas Planek added nine points and Lattner finished with seven.
Thursday night's consolation quarterfinal (bracket B) improves the team's record to 10-2 on the season. Wheaton Academy will turn it around quickly, as they face Crespi Carmelite from Encino, California on Friday at 1:45 PM in the main gymnasium.
For the full box score,
click here.
To view video of the game, see below.
