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Boys Basketball: Plainfield Central edges Aurora Central
Updated: December 6, 2011 10:44PM
Plainfield Central dealt Aurora Central a painful loss in more ways than one on Tuesday, edging the Chargers 56-55 in Aurora.
The Wildcats limited Aurora Central to 27 percent shooting in the second half – 20 percent (3 of 15) in the third quarter – and the Chargers lost star senior forward Robert DeMyers with a broken fibula in the game’s final seconds.
DeMyers went up to contest a dunk attempt by 6-6 senior Andre Harris as the final seconds ticked off the clock, came down awkwardly and had to hobble off the floor after being called for a foul with .8 of a second remaining and his team down by the final margin.
Harris, who had made a pair of free throws with 1:38 remaining to give the Wildcats their 57-56 lead, missed the first of two free throws then intentionally missed the second. ACC inbounded the ball with .3 of a second left but couldn’t get a final shot off.
DeMyers, who averages 14.8 points-per-game, was taken to a local emergency room by his parents after the game to have the leg x-rayed. The injury is expected to sideline for six weeks. ACC played without second leading scorer Paul Kaminski (11.1), who dislocated his thumb last weekend.
The Chargers made 15 of 31 (48 percent) shots in the first half, but hit just 7 of 26 in the second half.
“We executed our assignments a lot better in the second half,” said Plainfield Central coach Steve Lamberti, who got 16 points from senior guard Zach Werner, including three three-pointers in the second half.
“(Aurora Central) is a good team. They’ve already beaten two of our biggest rivals in Plainfield North and South and they’ve got a ton of talent. In the second half, we did a better job of getting the ball to the basket.”
The visitors also won the game at the free-throw line, making 17 of 25 while the Chargers managed just 9 of 19.
Joey McEachern picked up the slack for ACC, scoring 17 of his team-high 20 points in the first half when the hosts led 34-19 late in the second quarter. The visitors trailed 34-23 at the break.
“I thought we closed the half kind of poor,” said Drye. “We let up a little and let them get a couple baskets and then we went pretty cold in the third quarter. We missed some big ones, too, and one or two front ends of one-and-ones.”
A Mitch Young three-pointer to open the fourth quarter gave the Wildcats (2-3) their first lead since the first quarter and it traded hands several times after that.
DeMyers, who finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks, three steals and three assists, drove down the lane and dunked the ball with 2:06 remaining to give his team a 55-54 lead, but the Harris free throws sealed it.
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