BARTLETT - East Aurora coach Wendell Jeffries has had to shuffle his lineup more this season than the Cubs in spring training. Suspensions and lack of eligibility have plagued the team all season, and in the opening round of the Bartlett Class 4A Regional, the only that remained the same was change.
Playing without three regulars, including a pair of post players, the East Aurora Tomcats eventually succumbed to the host Hawks 75-62 Wednesday night, but not without some fight.
East Aurora trailed 51-38 entering the final frame but made an incredible comeback. Senior Ryan Hayden canned three long balls, Will Brown added a driving lay-in and Ryan Boatright converted a steal into a layup. Boatright's bucket closed the gap to 57-54 with 2:35 to play and momentum had clearly swung to the Tomcats.
But like a test car smashing the wall, all the Tomcats momentum came to a screeching halt when Brown was whistled for his fifth foul on the ensuing inbound and then given a technical foul for tossing his headband over the team's bench. Cory Hrynyk sank four free throws with 2:31 showing on the clock and Marc Little added two more freebees one second later when he was fouled catching an inbounds pass.
Six points in one second. A three-point deficit hiked to nine. Still, the Tomcats didn't fold. Boatright hit a basket in the lane and Takaius Brooks added a free throw with 2:01 to play trimming the margin to 63-57. Bartlett responded, though, sinking eight more shots from the charity stripe while adding a pair of fastbreak baskets, including a slam by Hrynyk. The Hawks drilled 16 of 17 from the foul line in the final frame.
Brown said he felt like he cost his team the game, but Jeffries said otherwise and with proof.
"We made 2 out of 9 and they made 24 of 25; that's your ballgame," Jeffries noted.
"We were able to hang with a regional championship caliber team without three starters because we had our three best practices this week and the kids played hard," said Jeffries. "All year long we've been stressing composure...but I thought we lost our composure at the end of the first half. I thought some calls went against us, but that's part of basketball."
"We fought back and cut it to three, and even though we thought it was a bad call (Brown's fifth foul) we lost our composure."
The reaction by East Aurora fans attracted the attention of school officials and police, but calm was restored and the game went on. Hayden finished with a career and game-high 25 points. He connected on seven triples, including four in the fourth quarter.
Brooks notched a career-high 13 points and 10 rebounds. Brown tallied 16 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals. East Aurora fell behind 19-10 after one quarter, but the Tomcats, who close the season with a 16-11 mark, sprang an 18-2 run on the Hawks (19-7) to gain a 28-21 advantage.
The Hawks answered with a 19-0 eruption that spanned 3:25 of the second quarter and 2:39 of the third quarter. Brown garnered eight points and two assists in the third quarter.
"I thought it was a valiant effort by the Tomcats," Jeffries added. Class 4A Bartlett Regional
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