Wheaton Academy senior Jeremy Parker didn’t have a very productive first half on Tuesday, and he knew it.

But when his Warriors teammates needed him in the second half of a tight Private School League boys basketball battle with visiting Rockford Christian Life, Parker was plenty productive. The Wheaton Academy forward had 2 points and 0 rebounds as the Warriors clung to a 26-25 lead at the half.

Parker then opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer and followed that up with three more field goals in the quarter as the host Warriors built a 41-35 lead after three quarters and then hit their free throws down the stretch to pull out a 61-50 victory that was closer than the final score would indicate.

“We played well, but we ran into some tough calls,” said Parker, who finished with a team-high 14 points, including a layup off a feed from Jason VanderVeen at the buzzer of the third quarter. “We got in foul trouble with some starters, including myself.

“I felt at the half like I didn’t contribute as much, but I had a pretty good role in it in the second half.”

But Parker didn’t do it alone for a Wheaton Academy squad (5-8, 2-2) that entered the game with a 4-8 record after going 1-3 at East Aurora’s holiday tourney. Reserves Benjamin Euler and Joel Malmquist scored 24 crucial points off the bench. On a night when sharpshooter John Tillery failed to score in the second half after hitting a pair of 3s in the first half for 6 points, Euler hit a 3-pointer in the second quarter and then busted out for 10 more points in the second half.

“Joel did a good job off the bench the whole game,” Warriors coach Andy Euler said. “Plus Ben hit some big shots in the second half. It’s nice to have a bench.”

The Eagles (8-11, 1-2) entered the game with a four-game losing streak, yet they battled to the wire. Junior guard Seth Nayonis hit 11 of 12 free throws to finish with a game-high 21 points before fouling out with a minute to play and the Warriors on top 59-50 following two free throws by VanderVeen.

Two Nayonis free throws had cut the Wheaton Academy lead to 45-42 with six minutes to go, but a three-point play by Euler and a basket inside by Nate Williams upped the hosts’ margin to 50-43 midway through the fourth quarter.

From there the Eagles couldn’t get a 3-pointer to fall and also were hurt by 6 missed free throws in the fourth quarter. The Warriors, meanwhile, went 10 of 12 from the foul line for the game, including four straight in the final minute by VanderVeen to seal the win.

“We had our opportunities, but we missed some crucial shots and we couldn’t stop them,” Eagles coach Darryl Carlson said. “We’re there, we just can’t get over the hump.”