Aurora Christian senior Jake Wolfe and his teammates wanted to show what they were made of Friday night.
Wolfe did just about everything in leading the host Eagles to a 67-42 win over Harvest Christian in the Class 1A Aurora Christian Regional championship game.
It was the Eagles’ third victory this season over Harvest, including a 58-56 win in December.
“I think we came into this game with a lot of energy knowing that we wanted to prove ourselves and prove it to them that we’re a lot better than we showed in that second game,” Wolfe said.
Wolfe scored a game-high 27 points to go with four assists, two steals and two blocks as Aurora Christian (24-1) advanced to face Wethersfield at 7 p.m. Wednesday in a Ottawa Marquette Sectional semifinal.
“This is my third (regional title) and they never get old,” said Wolfe, a four-year varsity starter and Lipscomb recruit. “It’s always good to win a regional.”
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Harvest Christian (18-9) was led by Jack Nohava with 13 points.
Wolfe plays alongside his sophomore brother Will, who finished with 19 points.
Jake Wolfe scored 17 points in the middle quarters as the Eagles shot 16-for-25. His leadership has been a key to Aurora Christian’s season.
“I feel like I’m on the top of my game right now,” Wolfe said. “My junior year, I didn’t lead the team as well as I could have, but this year my leadership has stepped up a lot. I think that made a big impact on my own game and affecting my teammates as well.”
The Eagles were hot from the start, rolling to an 11-0 lead. They led 33-13 at halftime and 54-23 after three quarters.
“I think it started on the defensive end,” Aurora Christian coach Dan Beebe said. “They have some really good shooters, but just didn’t get a lot of open looks.”
Beebe had nothing but praise for Wolfe.
“Jake’s a special player,” Beebe said. “He can score, rebound, defend. He does so many different things. He’s such a great leader, he helps everyone around him become better.”
After losing in the sectional final last year to Newark, Jake Wolfe and his teammates have just one thing on their agenda.
“Our goal is to win the state,” he said.
Bob Hurst is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.