West Aurora’s 0-4 start quickly left the Blackhawks as an afterthought this season.
After their annual trip to the Pontiac Holiday Tournament, which included two losses and a quick return home, coach Mike Fowler’s team was just 5-8. But West Aurora hasn’t lost since, beating Downers Grove South on Saturday night to extend its winning streak to 10 games.
“The start was unexpected, both with who we had available and the results,” Fowler said.
The Blackhawks were without injured star athlete Terrence Smith, an Iowa football recruit and talented basketball prospect, until early January. There have been other players in and out of action for various reasons.
“We just tried to stay the course, keep the guys focused,” said Fowler, who at one point was down to eight available players. “I think we all believed once we got everyone back we would be a totally different team.”
Travis Brown, a dynamic playmaking guard, is one of the state’s more talented sophomores, averaging 15 points.
Smith is averaging 11 points off the bench while providing his 6-4 size, athleticism and versatility. Senior Gabriel Gonzalez provides some experience and size (6-7). Plus, Fowler has received some help from two sophomores — Jaden Matthews-Thomas and Abe Martinez.
The most impressive win during the hot stretch was against Geneva. The Blackhawks, though, will get a big test this weekend when Brother Rice comes to town.
“It’s an important measuring stick for us late in the season,” Fowler said. “We know who Brother Rice is and what they’ve done. The reality is it will be a tough one for us. But we also know if we want to win a regional we will have to beat a team the caliber of Brother Rice.”
West Aurora is inching its way up the seeding ladder in a sectional highlighted by Bolingbrook, Waubonsie Valley and Benet.
Loftus scores 40
The most unexpected, unlikeliest single-game wow moment of the season came Saturday night from Loyola’s Brendan Loftus.
The tough, physical 6-7 senior who is headed to Miami (Ohio) to play football, entered a matchup with highly ranked Niles North averaging 10.5 points. Loftus had 40 points in a 68-63 win, finishing 15-for-18 from the field with a shot-clock beating three-pointer.
The 40 points were the third-highest single-game total in Loyola history, behind only Colin Falls’ games of 51 and 41 points.
Kenwood’s city-title dreams
There wasn’t a Public League team ranked among the top seven in the preseason Super 25 rankings. Simply put, there were too many questions surrounding the top city teams to entrust any of them with a higher ranking.
With that came the expectation the city would be up for grabs among a host of teams, including the usual suspects — Simeon, Curie, Kenwood and Young — and an upstart Lincoln Park program.
But after two-plus months and the city playoffs tipping off this week, Kenwood has emerged as a clear-cut favorite.
The Broncos have dispatched all of their city foes, going 11-0 in the Public League Shield. They also have victories against New Trier, Warren and DePaul Prep.
Kenwood never has won a city championship but has come close recently, losing in the title game each of the last two years.