Posted/Modified on Saturday, February 11, 2006 3:14 PM

By Kevin McGavin
Daily Herald Correspondent
Posted Saturday, February 11, 2006

Wheaton Academy’s John Tillery had a career night, and teammate Matt Jones made sure the Warriors finished the job.

Even though Aurora Christian sophomore Joe Redmond hit a 3-pointer two-plus minutes into the third quarter to give the host Eagles a three point lead, Tillery and Jones were virtually unstoppable over the next several minutes.

Wheaton Academy went on an 18-2 run over the next six minutes to take command of the Private School League boys basketball contest in which the Warriors won, 65-48, in Aurora Friday night.

After draining three 3-pointers in the first half while racking up 17 points before the intermission, Tillery had an even more influential sequence midway through the third quarter.

The senior guard had an inside score to help negate the Redmond 3-pointer, and the last of his field goals from beyond the arc gave the Warriors the lead for good with 3:12 to play in the third.

Jones, the Warriors’ sixth man, doubled the Wheaton Academy lead to 44-38 on the ensuing possession with a 3-point play.

Taking advantage of poor free-throw shooting by Aurora Christian, Wheaton Academy (13-11, 6-2) continued its run as Tillery not only scored the last of his three third quarter buckets, but also assisted Jones for an easy deuce.

“When (Jones) came off the bench, he gave us some energy,” Wheaton Academy coach Andy Euler said. “We started playing like a team at that point.”

For Aurora Christian (10-13, 3-5), the third quarter was a disaster, as the club went from being in the lead to down double digits.

“We missed some easy ones and we couldn’t make any free throws,” Aurora Christian coach Don Davidson said. “When you don’t shoot well, a lot of things get magnified.”

Tillery had a lone field goal in the fourth quarter, but he still established a new career-high with 26 points. Jones had 9 of his 11 points after halftime.

“Sometimes, we’ll just open it up,” Tillery said. “That much motion will work every time.”

“Tillery was very tough tonight,” Davidson said. “I’m thinking, ‘Where in the world did this kid come from?’”

The backdrop for the decisive third-quarter Wheaton Academy run was formed in the second quarter as the two teams combined for 42 points in the frame.

Tillery had 12 of the Warriors’ 22 in the quarter, but Aurora Christian fought back behind Jonathan Boyd and Zach Johnson.

Boyd paced the Eagles with 12 points, while Redmond and Johnson had 9 apiece.

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