Defense-minded West tames Wolves
If Aurora isn’t the best basketball city in the area surrounding Chicago, it’s certainly in the top five.
Both public high schools, West and East Aurora, have historic programs and lovingly maintained, large gyms built for basketball fans. But it has been a while since either was in the upper echelon of the rankings, and there hasn’t been a ton of excitement around either program since Ryan Boatright starred for East Aurora back in 2011.
Mike Fowler, a member of West Aurora’s state championship team in 2000, took over as the Blackhawks’ new coach this season. This group is unlikely to achieve the heights he once did, but it’s a fun team with some swagger that has started to play lockdown defense — and could help reenergize the city’s ravenous basketball fans.
West Aurora held visiting Oswego East, which has dominated the Southwest Prairie the last several seasons, scoreless for stretches of six and 4oe minutes on the way to a 69-51 victory Tuesday night.
“We work on defense a lot in practice,” junior Terrence Smith said. “We really take pride in our defense this year. It’s something we really want to be good at.”
Smith, a 6-4 junior with a major college future in either basketball or football, led the Blackhawks (5-2, 3-0 Southwest Prairie West) with 22 points and five rebounds. He dunked three times.
Point guard CJ Savage (10 points, five assists) is the heart of the team and one of the area’s best passers. He stepped up after Fowler called a timeout in the fourth quarter when Oswego East was charging back into the game, having cut the lead to 53-41.
“[Savage] is a really good point guard,” Smith said. “He’s one of a kind.”
Savage attacked the basket for a threepoint play right out of the timeout. Wolves star Jehvion Starwood, a Wyoming recruit, fouled out on the next possession, and that ended the threat.
“That was probably one of the biggest plays of the game,” Savage said. “I had to keep the energy going for my team.”
West Aurora junior Kewon Marshall had 12 points, five rebounds and back-to-back dunks to close the game. Gabriel Gonzales, a 6-7 junior, added nine points off the bench, and senior Jordan Brooks scored 14.
“We pulled off [some defense] in the last game, too,” Fowler said. “I want to say we only gave up four in the second quarter and seven in the fourth. I don’t expect that to happen, but that’s their effort. They are locking in, and they understand they can be special.”
Starwood led Oswego East (5-3, 2-1) with 21 points and scored their first 13. Sophomore Mason Lockett hit a shot right before the halftime buzzer — the only field goal of the first half the Wolves managed that wasn’t from Starwood.
Oswego East previously beat West Aurora 68-56 in the first week of the season. The Wolves returned just one starter this year, Starwood, from last year’s sectional championship team.
“We are at home, and we had to get the energy going,” Fowler said. “Kudos to my boys. They work their butts off.”