Those attending any East Aurora-West Aurora basketball game begin showing up at least two hours before tipoff.
That’s because tickets and parking are at a premium for one of the most storied basketball rivalries in the Chicago area.
Sellout crowds overflowing with passionate partisans have been synonymous with this event since 1912, when the two rivals began meeting at least once a year.
When East met West twice a season during their days of competing in the Upstate Eight, it was the biggest deal in town.
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With West Aurora moving to the DuPage Valley Conference, this is now a once-a-year happening.
Saturday night No. 7 West Aurora (16-2) rolled early and often en route to an easy 77-64 victory on its home court before a capacity crowd of 2,500. The Blackhawks now enjoy a 120-77 advantage in the series.
West Aurora went right to work and outscored the Tomcats 18-2 after the opening tip. Fast-rising, 6-foot-5-inch junior Dameon Mason had 11 points in that quick burst, and East Aurora (10-9) never fully recovered. The closest East Aurora came was 47-38 early in the third quarter on Darice Venson’s three-point shot. Venson led his team with 21 points.
“This was really good, and I had a lot of fun tonight,” Mason said after his first East-West experience. Mason transferred to West Aurora from Waubonsie Valley.
Behind a series of athletic moves to the basket and a soft, deadly jumper, Mason led all scorers with 32 points and added eight rebounds. That followed up his 35-point performance Friday night in a victory over Wheaton North.
“As a first-year athletic director at West, I was asked if I would continue this rivalry,” said Randy Konstans. “My answer: `Yes, as long as there are people living in Aurora.’
“This is something that binds the community together. For me and all the players and coaches in that gym tonight, this is the most alive you’re every going to be.”
Bob Sakamoto.
Triton shootout: David Harper scored 11 of his 20 points in the second half as No. 12 Manley (18-4) cruised past Prosser (10-9) 67-57. Manley actually trailed 22-10 after one quarter but rallied to lead by one point at halftime. Marcus Jackson added 17 for Manley, while Perrick Robinson led Prosser with 13.
Bloom 52, Crete-Monee 37: The No. 16 Blazing Trojans (13-7, 2-4) used Larry Ellis’ 13 points and seven rebounds for the SICA South win. Charles Bass collected 18 points, eight rebounds and four blocks for Crete-Monee (4-15, 0-6).
Riverside-Brookfield 52, Nazareth 51: Tim Brasic’s game-winning basket with 34 seconds remaining helped the No. 20 Bulldogs (17-2) notch their 16th straight win. R-B trailed by as much as 38-29 late in the third quarter. Brasic finished with 20 points and Brandon Davis pitched in with 13. Mike Apostle paced Nazareth (3-16) with 12 points.
Downers Grove North 78, Downers Grove South 69: Antonio Poole scored 28 points to lead the Trojans (11-9). Stephan Bolt added 23 points for Downers Grove North, which rallied from 15 down in the first half. The Mustangs (11-6) were led by Justin Stanger’s 26 points.
Hersey 58, Maine East 40: Jay Brizzolara led all scorers with 14 points and Steve Prorok chipped in 11 points and six rebounds to lead Hersey (15-6).
Hinsdale Central 63, Naperville Central 48: Erik Turnbull scored 12 points off the bench and Pat Cuttica scored 10 of his 11 points in the second half to lead the Red Devils (13-6). Hinsdale outdistanced Naperville Central in the third quarter, when the Redhawks (11-9) shot only 1-of-12 from the field. Naperville’s Ryan Paradise led all scorers with 15 points.
Libertyville 83, Zion-Benton 72: Pete Silvestri scored 30 points to go with Ben Engstrom’s 18 as Libertyville (16-3) put the game away with an 11-0 third-quarter run. Andre White’s 28 points led Zion-Benton (17-4).
Loyola 70, Deerfield 68 (OT): Colin Falls’ three-pointer with :17 remaining in overtime proved to be the game-winner for Loyola (15-5). Falls finished with 27, while Joe Kennedy added 19. Mark Morrison’s 19 points and Seth Franklin’s 18 led Deerfield (12-7).
Lyons 53, Stagg 35: Jim Maley had 15 points to go with Cortez Forte’s 14 as the Lions (9-8) broke open a four-point lead with a 16-2 run at the end of the third quarter for the non-conference win. Lyons (9-8) is now over .500 for the first time since starting the season 1-0.
“We’re playing our best when it matters the most,” said Lyons coach Conte Stamas, whose squad is now on a five-game winning streak. “I really like the direction were going.”
David Genslinger led Stagg (13-9) with 14 points.
Montini 55, Driscoll 44: Joe Howard scored 24 points and Joe Gay scored 10 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter to lift Montini (12-6, 8-3) in the Suburban Catholic.
Notre Dame 53, Glenbrook North 33: The Dons (16-2) rolled as John Bowler netted 15 points and coach Dennis Zelasko earned his 200th career win.
Neuqua Valley 76, Oswego 68: Keelan Amelianovich scored 26 points, including six in a 7-0 run midway through the third quarter to give the Wildcats (18-2) the lead for good at 52-46.
John Maples aided the winning cause with 20 points off the bench. Gavin Sullivan and Jeff Kenyon paced Oswego (10-7) with 22 and 18 points, respectively.
Prospect 86, St. Viator 77: Craig Anderson scored 19 of his game-high 49 points in the fourth quarter for the victorious Knights (13-7). Brian Hare led St. Viator (9-10) with 42 points.
Providence-St. Mel 60, Lisle 53: Stanley Gaines scored 30 points despite missing four days of practice this past week with a sprained ankle to lead Providence-St. Mel (7-11) to the upset. Justin Cerasoli and Emmanuel Ford added 15 points apiece for the victors, who broke a four-game losing streak. Joe Cortez led Lisle (18-2) with 30 points.
Rochelle 53, DeKalb 50: Jason Harper scored five of his eight points in the last minute to rally Rochelle (18-4) over DeKalb (13-7) at Northern Illinois University. Ben Rand led all scorers with 25 points for Rochelle. Monteil Norman led DeKalb with 10 points.
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St. Charles East 65, Batavia 63 (OT): Kevin Mullen’s layup with 3.7 seconds left lifted the Saints. Chris Jones led East (10-8) with 15 points. Nick Barajas’ 16 points and Kevin Bryant’s 15 points paced Batavia (14-5).
St. Francis 61, St Edward 53: Tom Buresh’s 28 points led St. Francis (9-11, 7-4) in the Suburban Catholic.
St. Patrick 47, Palatine 41: Brian Joyce’s 12 points and Michael Sakosky’s 10 points gave the edge to the Shamrocks (12-6) in a non-conference game. Reggie Ball and Timothy Smith each scored 11 points for Palatine (7-13).