West Aurora junior Damian Virgen looked as if he could go back out onto the court and keep battling after Tuesday night’s game.
Virgen scored a game-high 27 points in an 85-66 loss to top-seeded Bolingbrook, but the fifth-seeded Blackhawks ran out of gas in the second half of the Class 4A Lincoln-Way East Sectional semifinal.
“Just trying to get my team to a victory,” said Virgen, a 6-foot guard. “We were fearless and wanted to win. In the second half, we just lost it.”
West Aurora (21-9) flew up and down the court in the first quarter to lead 17-14. Virgen scored six points and DaVion Cross added five in the quarter.
Bolingbrook (27-1) ran off eight straight points to take a 24-19 advantage with 2:52 left in the second quarter. Virgen scored on three consecutive layups and Cross hit a pair of free throws to pull the Blackhawks to within 28-27 at halftime.
“I thought we matched their athleticism, intensity and physicality,” West Aurora coach Brian Johnson said. “We showed for a half that we could play with them.”
Bolingbrook’s defense, speed and shooting caught up in the third as the Raiders outscored West Aurora 33-22. The Blackhawks committed seven of their 21 turnovers in the quarter, and Bolingbrook made 13 of 16 shots from the field.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t take care of the ball very well, didn’t close up the paint and they took advantage of that in the second half,” Johnson said.
Following a steal by Camron Donatlan and dish to Virgen for a lay-in and three-point play, the Blackhawks got within 50-46 with 2:54 left in the third. But Bolingbrook stormed back to extend its lead to 10 points after a basket by Kaleb Thornton.
The Raiders, who went 21-for-27 from the field in the second half, led 61-49 going into the fourth, and continued to add distance from the Blackhawks.
“Give credit to the West Aurora guys,” Bolingbrook coach Rob Brost said. “We told our guys they’re not going to back down.”
Bolingbrook was led by Malik Binns with 21 points, and Thornton with 16.
Cross scored 14 points for the Blackhawks, and Donatlan had 11 rebounds, six assists and four blocks.
“Nothing to keep our heads down, we had a terrific season,” Cross said.
Virgen kept hustling, draining a 3-pointer in the waning minutes.
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“He refuses to quit, he plays hard, has a great attitude and he’s fearless,” Johnson said.
West Aurora will lose Cross and Caleb Siler to graduation. But Virgen, Donatlan and Jared Crutcher will be among those returning to a team that won the Upstate Eight Valley title and a regional championship.
Bob Hurst is a freelance writer for The Beacon-News.