BARTLETT -- Top-seeded Batavia avoided a premature exit at the Bartlett Class 4A Regional Tuesday night. Playing in perhaps the toughest sectional in the state, the Bulldogs were taken to the wire by No. 16 seed Benet Academy in the regional semifinal.
That is where Batavia senior Phil Albrecht sank the biggest shot of his high school career. Knotted at 56-56 with 1:17 remaining in the game, Batavia held the ball for over a minute before Albrecht drained 3-pointer from the right corner with two ticks left on the clock.
Ryan Haggerty's tying attempt at the buzzer was off the mark and the Bulldogs celebrated a 59-56 triumph.
Batavia used a pair of timeouts in the closing minute -- the second coming with 15.4 seconds to play. Nick Fruendt, who garnered a game-high 25 points, passed off to David Bryant who eventually found Albrecht alone in the corner in front of the Bulldogs bench. Albrecht's shot tickled the twine and Benet signaled for a timeout with 1.7 seconds left.
Haggerty corralled the inbound pass and launched a 25-footer with Fruendt in his face. For a second, it appeared overtime was coming, but as the horn sounded, Haggerty's shot rimmed off the basket. Haggerty tallied a team-high 21 points, including 16 in the first half.
"You've got to give credit to Phil," said Benet Academy coach Marty Gaughan. "We were worried about Nick getting the basketball and creating something. We made him give it up and the kid hit a big shot."
Albrecht was 0 of 4 from beyond the arc before his game winner, and he lost his confidence.
"I was struggling throughout the game with my shot," said Albrecht. "I just wasn't in a good rhythm, but making the shot at the end makes up for the rest of the game."
Batavia led the entire first half, but a 6-0 run by the Redwings to open the second half put the Bulldogs on their heels. Falling behind 36-33 with 5:28 to play in the third quarter, Batavia responded quickly. Fruendt scored in the post and Bryant (12 points, seven rebounds) canned a long 3 for a 38-36 edge with 4:34 left on the clock.
The Bulldogs built a five-point margin midway through the fourth frame, but the Redwings answered the bell and tied the game twice.
Leading 48-47 entering the final stanza, Bryant and Fruendt extended the lead to 52-47 with a basket each. Alex Gasik hit a baseline jumper for the Redwings, but Fruendt responded with a bucket on a feed from Bryant (four assists) with 3:58 showing on the scoreboard.
Haggerty evened the score, depositing an offensive rebound and then scoring in the post while being fouled. Adding the freebee for the old fashioned three-point play with 1:49 to play, Haggerty knotted the score at 54-54.
Fruendt hit a 12-foot baseline jumper with 1:35 left, but Brian Gaughan sank a pair of free throws 18 seconds later setting the stage for Albrecht's heroics.
"Benet played their hearts and souls out there tonight," said Batavia coach Jim Roberts. "We're very fortunate that our kids hung in there with it. We got a good look at the bucket there at the end and he knocked it down." Class 4A Bartlett Regional
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