With one of Chicago’s top point guards on the bench, Young turned to one of the city’s best role players to fill the void.
Craig Beaudion kept the No. 4 Dolphins steady against a team known for its tenacious defense, running the point and leading the way to a 62-53 win at No. 12 Orr’s steamy gym.
“I have a lot of responsibilities as a leader and a captain,” Beaudion said. “This was just something I had to be ready to do.”
Beaudion stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals as Xavier Castaneda missed his fourth game this season with a sore Achilles tendon.
“Craig is such an incredible teammate,” Young coach Tyrone Slaughter said. “His instinct is to defer, but he’s talented enough that he doesn’t need to defer. He did an incredible job in tough circumstances against a tough team in a tough place to play.”
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Lucas Williamson led Young (12-4, 5-0 Red West) with 20 points. Javon Freeman, who helped Beaudion handle backcourt duties, added 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.
The Dolphins effectively won the game at the free-throw line, making 16 of 24 foul shots to Orr’s 4 of 11.
“Coach always tells us that when we attack the basket we’ll get free throws,” said Beaudion, who was 5-for-6 at the line. “That’s what we did tonight.”
Injuries have been a constant theme for Young this season, with Castaneda joining forward Jake Kosakowski and guard Justin Boyd on the sideline. All three are expected back by the end of the season.
“We’re an unfinished product,” Slaughter said. “But a lot of guys are getting invaluable experience, and that’s going to pay real dividends come March.”
Brian Hernandez led Orr (10-3, 4-2) with 14 points off the bench. Raekwon Drake scored 11 but took only eight shots, making five, to go with six blocked shots. The Spartans had 20 turnovers in their second consecutive loss.
“We just didn’t play good basketball,” Orr coach Louis Adams said. “Whitney Young’s hard enough to play, and we’re out there playing against ourselves and them at the same time.”
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Player of the game: Lucas Williamson, Young, 20 points.
Key performers: Young — Craig Beaudion, 11 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals; Javon Freeman, 10 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals; Tyler Beard, 11 points. Orr — Brian Hernandez, 14 points, 3 steals; Raekwon Drake, 11 points, 6 blocks; Dannie Smith, 11 points, 6 rebounds.