Gabe Sanders' big shot helps Yorkville turn away Oswego’s late comeback

OSWEGO – Gabe Sanders had taken just one shot in the second half Tuesday, a miss, when the Yorkville junior guard found himself open in a big spot.

He didn’t hesitate.

[ Photos: Oswego vs. Yorkville ]

That’s the mindset that the lefty shooter brought as the leading scorer on Yorkville’s sophomore team last year.

New year, new level, same thing.

“My teammate got me the ball, I was open, I shot it,” Sanders said, “and it went in.”

Cold, but still cold-blooded, Sanders drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing with just over two minutes left.

And with it Yorkville, which led by 19 at one point in the fourth quarter only to see it dwindle to five, held on for a 64-55 Southwest Prairie Conference win at Oswego.

Sanders scored a team-high 14 points, all but the last three coming in the first half to stake the Foxes (5-2, 1-2) to a 36-25 halftime lead.

His biggest shot came after Oswego had cut the 19-point lead to 60-55 on a 3 by freshman Ethan Vahl. Sanders said it isn’t easy to take a shot cold – not that he looked it.

“Have to make sure my rhythm is perfect there. It’s just a feeling at that point, just have to take the shot,” Sanders said. “Especially in the moment that was huge.”

Brayden Borrowman came back with his third 3-pointer of the second half for Oswego, but back came Sanders, assisting a Christian Harrell layup. And then he rebounded a missed Oswego shot to all but end a finish that got a little more sweaty than Sanders would have liked.

“We let up a little,” he said, “and then we came back.”

Fellow Yorkville junior guard Frankie Pavlik had 11 points and three assists – the last, the feed on Sanders' 3. DJ Ingemunson and Taelor Clements each scored nine for the Foxes.

Dasean Patton scored 28 and Vahl 11 for Oswego (3-4, 0-3).

No surprise to Yorkville coach John Holakovsky that Sanders hit the big shot. He had 19 in the Foxes' overtime win over Sycamore to win the Strombom Tournament.

And it’s no surprise to see the two junior guards leading the way for a Yorkville team that graduated all five starters from an 18-win team.

Sanders and Pavlik dressed for every varsity game as sophomores, and were regulars at varsity practice for the scout team.

“Gabe is a shooter, 100%,” Holakovsky said. “They were the two leaders on our sophomore team and I told them you have to be ready to take this over. We knew they were the next two guys coming in to right the ship. It helped a lot that they were varsity ready.”

Long-time teammates, their chemistry is evident. And they complement their strengths well.

“Gabe can shoot it, he can drive and he has some underrated hops. He’s very athletic,” Holakovsky said. “Frankie is a tough bulldog. He doesn’t mess around, won’t put up with anything.”

Sanders and Pavlik combined for 17 points in the first half, and Pavlik’s driving layup extended Yorkville’s lead to 55-36 lead with 6:59 left.

Oswego rallied by hitting four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, two each from Borrowman and Vahl.

“Too little, too late,” Oswego coach Nick Oraham said. “That’s got to happen in the first three quarters. We were 1-for-12 in quarters two and three. Not good enough.”

That cold shooting, 24 turnovers and 13 Yorkville offensive rebounds were items Oraham checked off that needed correcting."

“We won our first game like that, but we can’t be turning the ball over like that,” Oraham said. “Bottom line, they hit three 3s in the first half. Those are huge shots, gave those guys momentum. Not a coincidence we were cold early on, 6-for-25 from 3 for the game, just not good enough. No. 3 [Pavlik] got to his spot whenever he wanted. He was really good for them. They’re a good team. Well-coached.”

Indeed, Yorkville has pieces of all ages contributing. Freshman Joey Jakstys, younger brother of former Yorkville star Jason Jakstys, had five points and an impressive block of Patton, and fellow freshman Braydon Porter six points and five rebounds.

“For sure, our grades are diverse, but we all play together well,” Sanders said. “We’re a younger team, but we play together well.”