Has East Aurora turned a corner?
Coach Wendell Jeffries might not go that far, but he is encouraged by the Tomcats’ recent play after starting the season 0-9.
Slowly but surely, his team might be getting there after going 3-3 over their last six games. They defeated Upstate Eight Valley rival South Elgin 55-50 last Friday on the road before dropping Saturday’s nonconference home game to Proviso West 58-53.
“We’re starting to pull it together,” Jeffries said. “It was a big blow losing our senior co-captain, Michael Stewart. He had (ACL) knee surgery last Friday.”
Junior guard Davonta Faulkner has played a big part in the team’s improvement. He saw a lot of action off the bench for the varsity last season.
“This year, he’s been stepping up more and even more now with Stewart out,” Jeffries said. “He started the year playing off the ball more as a small forward.”
Recently, Faulkner had been playing more guard, teaming with sophomore Traevon Brown in the backcourt.
“We’re asking a lot more of him,” Jeffries said of the 5-foot-8 Faulkner, who is a strong 3-point shooter capable of driving to the basket.
Seniors Nasir Phillips and Andre Pearson are playing better, too, Jeffries said.
“We’re 1-2 in the conference,” Jeffries said. “I hope we can get on some type of roll.”
The Tomcats’ next two league games are Friday at Bartlett and Jan. 20 against Glenbard East at home. Their game against Marian Central on Jan. 21 has been moved from Woodstock to East Aurora because the Hurricanes’ gym is unavailable.
“We’ve had a few more home games after starting on the road a lot against some tough opponents,” Jeffries said. “We’re encouraged.”
Topping the chart: Sandwich and Plano both are 10-5 and tied atop the Interstate Eight Conference at 4-0. The Route 34 rivals will meet in the final regular-season game on Feb. 24.
The teams could also meet in the conference tournament that runs Jan. 20-27.
“I feel good about where we’re at, but we’ve got to keep it going every night now,” Sandwich coach Brennan Callahan said.
His team was seeded sixth in last year’s I-8 Tourney and upset the second- and third-seeded teams on the way to a runner-up finish.
“It’s another goal for us,” Callahan said. “We’ve never won the tournament and last year was the first time we’ve reached the title game.
“Every night now, teams are gunning for us. We’ve been a little lackadaisical at times, but we have to remember we’re the hunted. This program hasn’t been in this position much. We’re learning along the way.”
Senior Jackson Smith leads the Indians by averaging 16.8 points. Smith, a 6-foot-3 guard, also averages 4.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists. Sophomore Jimmy Braddish averages 8.6 points and senior point guard Jordan Isham averages 6.5 points.
MLK Day of Hoops: Oswego will meet Bolingbrook at 4:30 p.m. Monday in the Panthers’ inaugural Day of Hoops on Martin Luther King Day. The matchup will be preceded by Lemont vs. Mount. Carmel at 1:30 p.m. and Plainfield North vs. Crete-Monee at 3 p.m..
Twitter @RickArmstrong28
