Everybody expected a Ryan Boatright Show on Friday to cure East Aurora’s ills.
Maybe even a Snoop Viser shooting display on his birthday.
Thanks to solid shooting, Bartlett seized center stage in a 60-53 Upstate Eight Valley victory against the No. 18 Tomcats , who lost their third in a row.
Not even the return of the Connecticut-bound Boatright from a one-game suspension for violating team rules stopped the Tomcats’ slide. Boatright had one fewer shot attempt (30) in the game than Bartlett had as a team (31).
“(Bartlett) came in and took it to us,” East Aurora coach Wendell Jeffries said.
The Hawks (13-13, 3-6) overcame a dazzling start by Viser, who scored 14 of his 20 points during the first eight minutes. Boatright struggled from the outset, clanging several shots off of the rim, and didn’t score until the second possession of the second quarter. He shot an uncharacteristic 7-of-30 from the field, missing all seven of his 3-point attempts.
“That game threw me off,” Boatright said. “I needed a game to come back and catch my wind.”
The Tomcats (14-5, 7-2) missed 11 3-pointers during one stretch and didn’t hit a 3 in the second or third quarter. East Aurora shot 22-for-67 from the field, including 6-for-19 on 3-pointers, in the game.
“For whatever reason, we were missing a lot of shots,” Jeffries said.
The Hawks weathered Viser’s four 3-pointers in the first quarter with an 8-0 run late in the first half and avenged an early season loss to the Tomcats by shooting 11-for-15 in the first half and 20-for-31 for the game.
Bartlett senior guard David Greiter (10 points) made Boatright work for every shot. The Hawks won despite missing Femi Oyewole and Marcus Aluquin.
“It was a good win,” Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith said. “That was a team defensive effort. We really wanted to focus on keeping their shots away (from the rim).”
Boatright remains in contention for the player of year in Illinois, but the high-scoring guard wasn’t named to the prestigious McDonald’s All-American game.
“I was hoping, but I didn’t get my hopes too high,” he said. “I knew if I didn’t (make it) that I would be devastated.
“I’m proud that I was nominated.”
Player of the game:
Matt Chaltin, Bartlett, 17 points, 6 rebounds.
Key performers:
Bartlett — David Greiter, 10 points, 6 rebounds. East Aurora — Snoop Viser, 20 points, 6 3-pointers, 3 steals; Ryan Boatright, 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals.
