Boys basketball: Kelton McEwen powers St. Francis past Yorkville

WHEATON – Yorkville center Jason Jakstys was the main attraction Friday night, but Kelton McEwen stole the show.

McEwen upstaged the Illinois-bound Jakstys by leading all players with 22 points and eight rebounds as host St. Francis knocked off the Foxes 58-49 in an entertaining non-conference game at the Spyglass Center.

The play of McEwen, a 6-foot-1 senior guard, did not surprise St. Francis coach Erin Dwyer.

“He’s an all-state guard and he’s playing phenomenal in the last 8-10 games,” Dwyer said. “I think his consistency offensively is helping.

“He’s shooting less and scoring more. He’s getting shots for other people and he’s playing defense. He just helps your team win.”

McEwen termed the win one of the biggest of the season for the Spartans (15-10), who knew they were facing an imposing obstacle in the 6-10 Jakstys, who shot 100 percent from the field.

That statistic is misleading because Jakstys mustered only three shots, one of which was a tip-dunk. He finished with nine points, five rebounds and three blocks, but also was only 3 of 7 from the free-throw line.

The modest production was a result of solid play from St. Francis sophomore Gavin Mueller. The 6-6 center had only three points, three rebounds and two assists but did sterling defensive work in the paint.

“I thought Gavin did a great job,” Dwyer said. “Gavin is a very big, physical, tough kid for us.

“We know how good (Jakstys) is. If he gets the ball low post close to the rim, you’re in a lot of trouble, so we tried to keep him away from the rim as much as we could.”

That was a focus for all of the Spartans.

“They’re a really good team and I know (Jakstys) is a really good player,” McEwen said. “I thought Gavin did a really good job on him down low just trying to deny him the ball.

“So just kind of packing the paint, forcing him to make outside shots was basically our game plan on defense, and then offensively we just executed. Guys were setting good screens, we were moving the ball around and we just created for each other. It was awesome.”

The Spartans led 19-14 before Jakstys scored his first basket, which triggered a small spurt by the Foxes (15-10), who eked out a 28-27 halftime lead. Yorkville guard Jory Boley sank a series of pull-up jumpers en route to scoring 11 of his team-high 15 points before intermission.

But Boley went cold in the second half, missing his final seven attempts plus a pair of free throws, and McEwen and the Spartans got hot.

McEwen drained three consecutive shots, including the last of his three 3-pointers, to give the Spartans a 40-36 lead after three quarters.

“I was definitely feeling good,” said McEwen, who finished 7 of 10. “All credit to my teammates for getting me open.

“The screens that they set and their ability to space the floor gives me a lot of room to work, so I really appreciate that.”

Nathan Silagi began the fourth quarter by scoring on a power baseline drive and on the next possession, fellow reserve Patrick Spahn hit a jumper to make it 44-37.

Yorkville pulled within 48-44 on a 3-pointer by Michael Dunn with 3:17 left, but Dylan Ston, who had 11 points, answered with a trey of his own for St. Francis.

“We had a lot of opportunities to get to the basket, but we didn’t convert the layup and we missed free throws,” Yorkville coach John Holakovsky said. “We also had a couple transition opportunities we didn’t make either at the start of the fourth quarter, and that let them get a lead on us and expand on it.”

“They’re really tough and disciplined, and when they get a five-point lead on you in the fourth quarter, it’s really hard just to get the ball. Once you get it, you don’t get a lot of possessions to score and once you do, it’s hard to get it back again.”

A three-point play by Jakstys cut the gap to 51-48 with 1:22 remaining, but the Spartans made 7 of 10 free throws after that to ice the game. The Foxes shot just 6 of 17 from the line.

Despite the loss, Holakovsky was pleased to be able to play the Spartans.

“It was a great decision to schedule this game,” Holakovsky said. “Me and Coach Dwyer were both at Hinsdale South together as assistants. This is a game we can use to get ready for regionals.”

As can the Spartans.

“It definitely helps with our seeding,” McEwen said. “It was a super competitive game. Between this and all our conference games, by the time the playoffs roll around, we’ve seen everything. I’m really excited. I think we’re going to make a run at it.”