Melrose Park, IL—The Warrior boys basketball team had the opportunity to win the SCC blue division on Tuesday night against Walther Lutheran and took full advantage of it, defeating the Broncos 55-42 in a hard fought contest.
The Warriors got off to a slow start adjusting to Walther's tempo in the first quarter, but
Jake Cousins was an offensive spark scoring 7 of the team's 14 first quarter points, including a three-pointer and a pair of free throws. The Broncos' energetic attack rattled Wheaton Academy early on, causing an uncharacteristically high number of turnovers, but the team made adjustments in the second quarter.
The game continued to go back and forth in the first half until the last few minutes of the second quarter when the Warriors went on a critical run to extend the halftime lead to 10 points, 28-18.
Gabe Partain led the defensive attack for the Warriors, stealing the ball 5 times and applying a persistent full court pressure which led to steals and fast break opportunities. The fast break was Wheaton Academy's friend Tuesday night, as the team made great decisions and finished layups or earned trips to the free throw line.
Gordon Behr had an all-around impressive performance leading with 16 points, shooting 53% from the field, and grabbing 5 boards.
WA led 41-26 at the end of the third quarter, but Walther didn't give up. The Warriors battled the Broncos back and forth up until the four minute mark when
Brandon Ruggles (12 points, 13 rebounds) knocked down a pair of free throws off of a technical foul call and then WA scored again on the ensuing possession.
Tuesday night's 55-42 win secures the SCC Blue Division conference championship for Wheaton Academy for the fourth consecutive year and improves the team's record to 17-5 overall and 8-1 in conference play. The team faces Kaneland on Saturday night at home—Senior night—with a tip-off time of 7:30 PM.
Daily Herald:
Wheaton Academy wins fourth straight title
