Elmhurst, IL—The Wheaton Academy Warriors went to battle Tuesday night at Immaculate Conception Catholic Prep in a back-and-forth, chippy, offensive foul rampant SCC division crossover contest. The Knights' hounded the Warriors with in-your-face defensive pressure in the opening quarter, preventing WA from offensive productivity. It was an even game in the first quarter as both teams struggled to find a comfortable rhythm, with IC leading 9-8.
Sophomore
Josh Ruggles helped ignite the Warriors charge against the Knights with a pair of three pointers in the second quarter while
Gordon Behr added three baskets to gain a 10 point, 24-14 halftime lead.
Immaculate Conception never breached that 10-point Warrior lead the rest of the game, but they persisted to threaten a comeback in the remaining 16 minutes of play, which seemed much longer than that due the frequent fouls called.
Brandon Ruggles demonstrated great defensive positioning tonight, drawing five charges alone in additional to a charge drawn by his brother Josh.
Wheaton Academy's offensive patience in the half court down the stretch drove the nail in the coffin for the Knights, who move to 16-5 on the season with Tuesday night's loss.
The Warriors' remarkably even distribution in scoring accurately pointed to the balanced attack the team displayed. Seven players for the Warriors contributed in the scoring column:
Gordon Behr and
Josh Ruggles each had 12 points,
Gabe Partain had 10,
Brandon Ruggles (10 rebounds) and
Collin Roy added 6, and
Jake Cousins (5 assists) and
Evan Williams each had 4.
Tuesday night's hard-fought battle gives the team their 15
th win of the season (15-5) with just 5 regular season games remaining before IHSA Regional play begins. The team will play next on Saturday at home against Marmion Academy at 7:30 PM.
Daily Herald:
Wheaton Academy Charges Past IC
