West Aurora opened the state tournament with the realization its hopes of returning to Peoria begin by accepting an unfortunate truth–it won’t have Trevis Williams to lead them. The defending Class AA runner-up had opened the season with great expectations, predicated on the leadership and outside play of the 5-foot-11-inch Williams.
But complications from a back injury reduced Williams’ effectiveness and limited him to a handful of games. West Aurora’s guard play was erratic, leaving the Blackhawks just 7-5 after Christmas.
But West Aurora is returning to the form it exhibited the last two seasons in winning consecutive sectional crowns. In its opening game of the East Aurora sectional complex, third-seeded West (19-7) routed Glenbard East 69-39. The Blackhawks will play West Chicago, a surprise winner over Wheaton-Warrenville South, Friday night.
Williams watched the game in street clothes, his high school career over.
“The kids have accepted that fact, for some time, they couldn’t use Trevis as a crutch,” West coach Gordie Kerkman said. “We weren’t going to be able to rely on him to help us out. We’re playing and practicing much better, the kids are accepting their roles, they’ve adjusted their games to each other.”
Glenbard East (5-20) was outclassed from the start. West defeated their DuPage Valley Conference rival by 39 last Friday. While the Rams controlled the tempo early and stayed within 11-8 with 2 minutes remaining in the first quarter, a 16-0 run by West Aurora extending into the second quarter put the game out of reach.
The Blackhawks dominated despite 20-point scorer Andre Newson getting shut out in the first quarter. Newson scored 10 straight points late in the second quarter in helping West gain a 36-12 halftime advantage.
Kerkman made wholesale substitutions and none of the Blackhawk starters played heavy minutes. Newson was the only Blackhawk in double figures, scoring 14 points. He was backed up by Byron Thompson, Jeff Ruffin and Derrick Perry, each of whom scored nine. John Bell led Glenbard with 14.
