There are games where West Aurora’s Travis Brown just has to take matters into his own hands.
Tuesday night was one of those situations as the Blackhawks were listless for the better part of three quarters. And the 6-foot-1 junior guard understood exactly what he had to do.
“I know I’m the best player on the court,” Brown said. “I have to take over whenever the team is down, whenever we’re not playing at our full potential.
“I have to step up on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.”
Brown definitely stepped up, finishing with 18 points, eight rebounds and five steals as West Aurora pulled away for a 54-38 Upstate Eight West win over host Larkin in Elgin.
Jaden Matthews-Thomas finished with 14 points and Drew Lundberg added 12 for the Blackhawks (15-11, 9-1), who trailed by seven points in the third quarter after beating the Royals by 18 earlier in the season.
Brown took over from there, however. His back-to-back layups at the end of the third quarter, the second coming at the buzzer, gave the Blackhawks a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
West Aurora coach Mike Fowler wasn’t surprised Brown provided the much-needed spark.
“I was kind of waiting for anybody to do it, to tell the truth,” Fowler said. “We struggled to score from anywhere on the court — free throws, layups, anything. Travis decided to wake up a little bit.
“He was feeling a little sick to his stomach early on, but he found a way to get it done.”
Lawrence Sallis also got it done, pacing Larkin (8-17, 2-7) with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Mac Irvin IV added nine points and 10 rebounds.
The Royals put together a 14-0 run that spilled into the third, eventually taking a 31-24 lead.
“We stuck to the game plan,” Larkin coach Anton Wilkins said. “The game plan was to play team basketball, and that ball was moving. I’m glad we’ve got it on film.
“That means something when you’re able to play three quarters of basketball against the top team in the conference.”
Brown, however, then grabbed the steering wheel for West Aurora. He scored the final two baskets of the third quarter and the first two of the fourth.
“He gave us a little spark there to score the basketball,” Fowler said. “We really needed that. It was looking rough there. He got some turnovers, got some easy baskets.
“We got the lead at the end of the third quarter, and after that, we just kept playing.”
It’s not like Wilkins didn’t see it coming. When Brown gets going, however, it’s hard to stop.
“He’s gotten better every step of the way,” Wilkins said. “We played very solid defense in the first half, and he made great reads, great decisions.
“He knocked down those midrange jump shots. They were beautiful.”
Brown confirmed that the key to the comeback was defense. West Aurora held Larkin to 13 second-half points. Brown’s relentless pressure and speed were a huge part of that.
“It gives everybody else energy,” Brown said. “That’s just the type of player I am. My teammates know the type of player I am and they feed off my energy.”
Teams place the majority of their focus on Brown coming into games. That hasn’t stopped him from being a frontrunner as the conference’s player of the year for a second straight season.
“He’s just a ballplayer,” Fowler said. “That’s what he does. He has a lot on his plate. Other teams know that. We know that. He just continues to press forward.”
That added pressure doesn’t negatively affect Brown, either. It’s quite the opposite, actually.
“I look at it as respect,” Brown said. “I know they’re coming after me every game. They see what type of player I am. It gives me confidence. I go into every game like I’m that type of player.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
