Eh, what’s up, Doc?
Chicken noodle soup might be good for the respiratory flu symptoms Dayvion Johnson was suffering from Tuesday night, but the Yorkville junior tried a different home remedy.
Hitting three 3-pointers in the first half did little to suppress the 6-foot point guard’s cough, but it certainly was good for what was ailing the Foxes’ offense at West Aurora.
“Dayvion had been sick all day,” Yorkville coach John Holakovsky said “We got nine points off his threes and then he spent most of the halftime just coughing.
“That’s why I gave him an early sub in the third quarter because I knew we’d need him in the fourth. I just wanted to give him a break at some point because he hadn’t come out yet. He played very well.”
Junior guard Josh Pickett had made three 3-pointers and a free throw, helping stake the Blackhawks to the biggest lead of the game at 12-3 midway through the first quarter.
Behind Johnson, Yorkville stayed within four points through two quarters and rallied in the second half for a 56-51 Southwest Prairie West victory.
Senior forward LeBaron Lee Jr. confirmed Johnson’s shooting was key for the Foxes (22-4, 11-3).
“It definitely kept us in the game,” Lee said. “West Aurora was starting to get a little lead, starting to pull away from us. Dayvion came in and hit some difficult shots and kept us in the game, honestly. That was big.”
Johnson and Pickett were quiet scoring-wise the rest of the game.
While Johnson made two free throws in the fourth quarter to finish with 11 points for Yorkville, Pickett had one free throw in the fourth and also finished with 11 points for West Aurora (15-13, 7-6).
“I was just trying to fight through it, drinking plenty of fluids and playing my hardest,” said Johnson, who started in the backcourt along with his cousin, junior Kaevian Johnson.
Lee led Yorkville with 15 points and seven rebounds, super sub Bryce Salek came off the bench to pick up 10 points and Jory Boley added nine.
“There’s not enough words to talk about how great LeBaron Lee is,” Holakovsky said. “He is the ultimate competitor, player, teammate, leader. He does everything for us.
“West Aurora was going to come out ready to go. They had good starts against Joliet West and Oswego East and did (Tuesday night). It’s loud. It’s hard to play here.”
The third quarter was crucial for the Foxes. Despite turning the ball over seven times, they still managed to outscore West Aurora 12-5 and take a 36-33 lead into the fourth.
“We came out and played better defense in the third quarter,” Johnson said. “After we made a turnover, we just picked each other up.”
Senior guard Datavion McClain said the Blackhawks have to break out of what has become a bad habit.
“We got sluggish in the third quarter, basically like we have a lot of the times lately,” McClain said. “We have to keep going, keep playing.”
McClain did, making three of West Aurora’s five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and finishing with 11 points.
Sophomore forward Terrence Smith, who had a team-high 12 points, forced a 50-50 tie on a layin with 37 seconds remaining but the Foxes made 6 of 6 free throws down the stretch.
“It was definitely a sloppy game execution-wise,” Lee said. “We handled business and got away with a win. It feels good, but back to work.”
Holakovsky believes Johnson will be there for the long haul.
“There’s a lot of games he doesn’t come out at all,” Holakovsky said. “He’s our starting point guard. He runs our offense, handles pressure and gets us into all of our sets and plays.
“He’s really a good leader, too.”