Boys Basketball: Aurora Cental Catholic downs Plainfield Central
By Paul Johnson For Sun-Times Media December 4, 2012 11:12PM
Aurora Central's Phil Schuetz eyes the basket during Tuesday's game against Plainfield Central. | Corey R. Minkanic~For Sun-Times Media
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Updated: January 6, 2013 9:49AM
During warmups prior to Tuesday’s night’s game at Plainfield Central, Aurora Central Catholic’s Zach Flint was feeling it.
“It feels amazing,” Flint said. “You just know when it releases off your fingertips that it’s going in. I was thinking, ‘Hopefully, I can keep it going.’ ”
He had little trouble keeping that momentum going all night long.
Flint keyed a hot shooting night for the Chargers, hitting 10-of-11 shots from the field, including all four of his three-point attempts, en route to a game-high 27 points. That helped the Chargers to a 66-60 win to move to 5-1 on the season.
“Zach was amazing in the first half,” coach Nate Drye said of Flint’s 20 points at the break. “He was great. He had a fabulous game. He really played smart. He hustled great. That’s the best he’s shot all year. He definitely can shoot it, but that’s the best he’s shot it. He’s having a good year, he really is.”
With Flint going 7-of-8 from the field, including all of his three-pointers, in the first half, Aurora Central Catholic was able to jump out of the gates quickly against Plainfield Central (3-3). The Wildcats turned the ball over on their first five possessions which helped Aurora Central Catholic take a 9-1 lead at the outset and a 21-12 lead at the end of the quarter to set the tone.
“It’s one of those situations where, you hate to say it, but the game was lost in the first four minutes,” Plainfield Central coach Steve Lamberti said. “It’s hard playing from behind. They’re a good, solid team. They made shots. You can’t come out that out of whack to start the game, that was it.”
The Wildcats were able to stay in the game thanks to a 36-21 rebounding edge, which was keyed by Logan Velasquez. He hauled down 15 boards to go with a team-high 19 points. He had 11 points and 11 rebounds at the break, which helped the Wildcats cut the lead to 34-31.
A three-pointer by Aurora Central Catholic reserve Brad Searles to start the fourth quarter and a pair of threes by Shawn Soris pushed the lead to 60-48 early in the fourth. But the Wildcats got into the bonus early and kept clawing away. The closest they could get was four in the closing seconds, however, allowing Aurora Central Catholic to escape with the win.
Soris scored 15 points and Anthony Andujar had 13 for the Chargers. Plainfield Central’s Curtis Harrington scored 17.
