Posted on Wednesday, November 23 at 9:34 PM
The first quarter of basketball Wednesday night was full of Warrior turnovers in the second game of the St. Charles East Thanksgiving Tournament against Prospect High School (Mt. Prospect, IL). Wheaton Academy was in a 15-6 hole at the end of the first quarter which extended into much of the second quarter and eventually was down 21-13 at the half.
The Warriors went on a run in the third quarter, scoring 13 points in the quarter and narrowing the defacit to just 7 points. Prospect gained a lead again in the fourth quarter, and their 11 free throws out of 23 total attempts is what propelled them to a win over WA. Wheaton Academy and Prospect were identical in their field goals, each making 14 and 4 three-pointers for the game.
Scoring for Wheaton Academy was evenly distributed between Jeremy Parker (12 points), John Tillery (8 points) and Axel Cerny (8 points). The team will continue tournament play on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 PM against the number 3-ranked (Chicago Tribune) St. Joseph.
Daily Herald Recap
Prospect 51, Wheaton Academy 43:ŒStill waiting for many key players to finish their football season, Prospect managed to hold off a late Wheaton Academy rally at the St. Charles East Thanksgiving Tournament.
Junior Jim Malewig put the entire Knights basketball kingdom on his back, scoring 7 straight points late in the fourth quarter to douse the fire of a Warriors rally.
Malewig, who finished with a team-high 12 points, was just looking to provide his team a spark in the second half.
“I just think that we needed some energy in the second half,” Malewig said. “I’m not normally a 3-point shooter, but I was just feeling it and had an open shot.”
Knights coach Dominic Cannon admired the way Malewig stepped up in only his second varsity game of his career.
“Jimmy (Malewig) is just playing in his second game as a varsity athlete,” Cannon said. “He’s just so happy in the locker room right now, and I couldn’t be happier for him.”
The Knights (1-1) took a 21-13 lead into the half thanks to solid early shooting by juniors Mike Winans and Steve Johnson.
Johnson, who finished with 9 points, earned his last four the hard way in the third quarter, leaping up for rebounds inside the paint and sinking the layups.
Sophomore Jeff Heiden hit his second 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter and Winans canned a 6-foot jumper to give the Knights what appeared to be a safe 35-26 lead.
Not so fast.
Warriors center Nate Williams, who sat most of the first half because of early foul trouble, connected for a short jumper. Wheaton Academy then went into a full-court press that forced the Knights into several turnovers.
Jason VanderVeen converted a three-point play when he was fouled making a layup to close the gap to 35-31. Jeremy Parker intercepted an errant pass and took it the distance for a layup that brought the Warriors within 2 points.
Malewig then hit back-to-back jumpers to put the Knights back on top 39-33.
Alex Cerny hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to keep the Warriors close, but Malewig answered the call again, hitting a trey of his own that ignited a 12-3 run to put the game out of reach.
The Knights were out rebounded early, but Cannon emphasized hitting the boards harder at halftime, which led to 14 rebounds in the fourth quarter alone.
“I’m really proud of our effort tonight,” Cannon said. “That Wheaton Academy team just wouldn’t go away, but we hit the boards hard and really came out to play, and I was just really pleased with how they played. We didn’t think we were hitting the boards at halftime, so that was what we focused on in the second half.”
Warriors coach Andy Euler said practice will help improve his team as the season continues.
“We were able to come back, but we just aren’t playing with much intensity,” Euler said. “But it’s all fixable. It’s not a talent issue. We just need to have a better shot selection.”
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