Wheaton Academy expected a close game going into Tuesday night's matchup against the 8-3 Tomcats, and that is exactly what they got. Both teams started out strong and EA held a 21-15 edge over WA after the first quarter. The Warriors, led by senior Jason VanderVeen who hit 4 of 5 three pointers for the game, rallied to outscore East 26-16 in the 2nd quarter.

With the four-point lead, Wheaton Academy continued to play extremely well both offensively and defensively in the second half. Seniors Jeremy Parker (18 points, 5 rebounds), John Tillery (16 points, 7 rebounds) -- did well in terms of numbers for the night, but all in all it was a team effort. A crafty made basket by Jeremy Parker with one second left on the shot clock and 1:54 in the game gave WA a two point lead which the Tomcats responded to by way of junior Victor Owens with 1:09 on the clock to tie the game. That was the last point scored in regulation - so the two teams moved into overtime.

A quick lay-in from Axel Cerny (9 points, 4 rebounds) off the sharp pass from John Tillery jump-started WA in the evenly played overtime period, which led into yet another overtime after a last-second game winning shot attempt for Wheaton Academy. The Warriors certainly hit their free throws, inparticular Jason VanderVeen and Tillery who both sank a pair in the second overtime. In fact WA was a perfect 7 of 7 (100%) from the line all night. Junior Matt Jones stepped up big defensively for WA, replacing Nate Williams after he fouled out in the first overtime. A foul was called on Jeremy Parker as Shaun Collins for EA attempted a three pointer with 2.7 second displayed on the scoreboard sending him to the line for three shots. He sank two of the three free throws and that concluded the game 79-77 East Aurora.

Wheaton Academy battled long and hard and held a tight lead for much of the game. East Aurora, a very good team as well played hard too and their homecourt and fans aided them in the win that could have gone either way. The Warriors executed well and played with confidence. They'll look to continue their solid play tomorrow against Chicago Orr at 4:30 PM.