By Bobby Narang
The Batavia High School boys basketball team entered the 51st Annual Jack Tosh Holiday Tournament with several questions marks.
Was the Batavia Bulldogs early start a true indicator of their potential? The Bulldogs opened the season with two wins in their first seven games. Close losses to Marmion Academy and Glenbard North were the key factors in an 0-3 start, while a two-overtime defeat to Geneva arrived right before the start of the prestigious Tosh Classic.
Would the Bulldogs be able to respond with a stronger and more focused effort in the talented Jack Tosh field?
Yes, the Bulldogs answered that question in their first game, knocking off host York, 37-36, in a back-and-forth thriller on the main court. Senior forward Brett Berggren made a name for himself on the football field for the Bulldogs, breaking a school career receiving record with 2,113 yards, including 61 receptions for 1,000 yards, and 10 touchdowns to power the Bulldogs to the Class 8A state semifinals this season.
But Berggren is proving his worth on the basketball court this season, evidenced by scoring the game-winning putback basket with 3.1 seconds left in the first round win over the York Dukes.
“I just saw the ball went perfectly right to me after I missed it,” Berggren said. “I didn’t give up and got it right back. I just tried to get it in the basket and hoped it would go in. This win means a lot. We’ve lost some big games, so we needed this one.”
Indeed, perhaps inspired by the thrilling victory, the Bulldogs recorded a 65-45 win over Riverside-Brooked the next day before dropping a 58-43 decision to St. Patrick. The Bulldogs closed out the tournament with a tough 49-45 loss to Glenbard North.
Against St. Patrick, which placed second in the tourney, senior guard Joe Reid and Evan Blankenship each scored 13 points, with the players each drilling three 3-pointers.
“St. Patrick is a good team and I thought they played really well,” Batavia coach Jim Nazos said. “I think we’re getting closer and are improving, but the second half we had some deficiencies but part of that was enticed by St. Patrick. I think we can learn from this. We’re taking strides, but they are undefeated for a reason. That’s a very good team, but I like how we competed.”
The Bulldogs (4-7, 1-3 in DuKane Conference) have a tough home game against St. Charles East at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9, and then will battle Conant at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 10.