Kelley's monster jam gets Chargers rolling

Aurora Central’s Steve Hollon handles the ball during the first half against Immaculate Conception.
(Scott Powers/For the Sun-Times News Group)

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Aurora Central isn’t the place one would expect to find the possible dunk of the year, but that’s where it happened on Friday night.

Aurora Central’s Anthony Kelley had stolen a ball and was pushing it upcourt in the second quarter. As he was elevating himself well above the rim for a two-hand jam, Immaculate Conception’s defender came running underneath him.

Absorbing the body contact, Kelley threw down the monstrous dunk and tried to hold onto the rim. With too much momentum against him, Kelley went flying horizontal and smashed to the ground with his chin hitting first.

Aurora Central’s fans didn’t know how to react. They had just witnessed a dunk they may never see again, but they also just saw their star play crash to the ground with the wind knocked out of him. It was only when Kelley stood up and walked off the court that everyone was put at ease.

From a game standpoint, the dunk also completed a 9-2 run that brought the Chargers back from an early deficit and would lead them the rest of the way to a 69-58 win over Immaculate Conception in the Suburban Catholic matchup in Aurora.

“It was scary,” Aurora Central coach Nate Drye said. “They only count as two points, but they’re momentum changers. It energizes our guys. He’s a phenomenal player.”

Kelley later proved he wasn’t going to change his game after what happened on his first dunk. He added two more breakaway dunks, including a final one where he had a defender approaching behind him.

“Anytime we’re getting some dunks and out running, we’re having a good time,” said Kelley, who had a large bandage on his chin afterward.

Kelley finished with 17 points. Nick Czaja (10 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks) and Mike Adams (20 points, nine rebounds) also contributed in the win for the Chargers (14-1, 7-0).

Matt Purdom did all he could to keep the Knights in the game. He scored a game-high 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Antonio Taylor added 10 points for Immaculate Conception (11-6, 3-4).