Wheaton North stakes claim to win over W. Aurora

It's hard to say your defense bent but didn't break when your team surrenders 41 second-half points.

Unless, of course, you still find a way to win the game.

Despite being outscored 41-30 in the second half Friday night against West Aurora, Wheaton North's boys basketball players walked off the court as winners, securing a 70-67 DuPage Valley Conference victory in Wheaton.

After leading 40-26 at halftime, the Falcons withstood a strong West Aurora charge led by sophomore forward Juwan Starks. The 6-foot-4 Starks poured in 12 third-quarter points and 17 total in the second half, yet Wheaton North seemed to find a way to continually push the Blackhawks out of striking range.

After a defensive lapse that lasted a majority of the second half, Wheaton North finally shut the Blackhawks down when it needed to.

"I think it was just us finally playing hard on defense again," Falcons forward Jeff Schalk said. "We were finally getting back to how we should be playing."

While Starks kept busy torching Wheaton North in the third quarter, Schalk gave his best offensive effort of the night to match. The 6-4 junior nearly kept pace, scoring 8 points of his own in the quarter on his way to a team-high 23 points.

"I wasn't really focused on (Starks) that much. I was just trying to do what you've got to do out there," Schalk said. "I was just trying to get my shots, get inside, get 'and-ones,' and do the best I can to keep it around the basket."

The Falcons (4-4, 2-1) jumped out to the 14-point halftime advantage due in large part to their 3-point shooting - 5 of 9 in the half and 6 of 10 for the game.

However, the Blackhawks (1-6, 0-3) continued to battle, as forward Derrick Johnson joined Starks in the second-half scoring festivities. Johnson notched 9 fourth-quarter points, including a 3 with 1:08 remaining to trim the Falcon lead to 67-62.

"They did a good job of using the clock and forcing us to foul, going to the free-throw line and knocking down free throws," West Aurora coach Gordie Kerkman said. "That's the way the game's supposed to be played."

Wheaton North knocked down 8 of its 10 fourth-quarter free-throw attempts, just enough to stave off West Aurora's two hot hands.

"They're a team that's fighting for wins, kind of like we are," Falcons coach Jim Nazos said. "They made plays when they had to to stay right around there, but we got stops when we needed them."