The limelight cast a large shadow Tuesday when East Aurora hosted Elgin on senior night, and Stephen Dorsey was happy to grab his share.
“It meant everything,” Dorsey said. “I’ve been with these guys a long four years. We really grind it out, and we’ve been through a lot.”
A 6-foot senior guard, Dorsey usually comes off the bench and makes a solid contribution, but he was granted the rare start.
He made the most of it, scoring 10 points and adding three steals and three rebounds in limited minutes during a 75-29 Upstate Eight Conference victory over the struggling Maroons.
These are the dog days of a long high school basketball season, and it was nice for East Aurora (14-7, 9-4) to have a breather in another busy week.
The Tomcats were coming off an 83-53 loss Friday to South Elgin in their fourth game in a week. They had beaten the Storm in overtime earlier in the season.
“It looked like we were playing in mud boots,” East Aurora coach Rick Robinson said of his review of that game film. “We were a step slow, late on our rotations.
“It was just one of those nights. They caught us at the right time, and coach Brett (Johnson) is always gonna have those guys prepared and ready to go.”
On Tuesday, the Tomcats were ready to go, coming up with five steals in the first quarter and bolting to a 19-8 lead.
“Just to get out and get a chance to play and let loose and have fun was great,” Dorsey said. “I know we were coming off a tough loss.
“But it was nice to play with these guys in front of the home crowd and our parents. The experience was great.”
Todd Allen was unavailable to coach the game for Elgin (3-19, 0-14).
Four-year starter Jullian Acosta, who gets his share of the spotlight, provided a highlight with 4:47 remaining in the second quarter when he grabbed the rebound of a missed layup on the break and dunked the ball.
It came in the middle of a 22-0 run for East Aurora.
Acosta joined Dorsey and fellow seniors Nate Robinson, Javier Cano and Ibrahim Koroma in the starting lineup. Acosta scored 18 of his game-high 22 points in the first half.
“I enjoyed having my family come out to support us,” he said. “I wasn’t really focused on scoring, just winning. It was good for us to get some rest for upcoming games too.”
The Tomcats, who enjoyed a running clock in the fourth quarter, resume action Friday at West Chicago and then meet Oswego East (24-1) in the final game of Saturday’s Kivisto Classic at East Aurora.
Koroma, a 6-7 center, had four points and pulled down eight rebounds against Elgin. He understands his part in the show.
“My role is to rebound, protect the rim,” Koroma said. “Personally, I feel like I could offer more, but certain guys have gifts. I’m an energy guy. I come off the bench and make sure everything is straight, everybody is good, get back and play defense.
“That’s just what I do. I do the dirty work and I’m proud of that. Shout out to coach Rick, dealing with us every day. He’s a good person.”
Dorsey sees himself in a similar role.
“I do the dirty work,” he said. “I rebound, get the loose balls, just hustle all around.”
Both would have liked to score more on this night but understood the circumstances.
“I need to have everybody rested and ready to go for Friday and Saturday,” Robinson said. “Oswego East is going to be a good game, but I don’t want to look too far ahead. We have to focus on West Chicago.
“And credit to Elgin, they played hard the whole game, regardless of the score.”
