Boys Basketball: Ryan Johnson, Oswego East turn the tables on East Aurora in second half

AURORA – Oswego East found yet another potential weapon to employ during its rapidly-emerging historic boys basketball season Saturday afternoon in Aurora.

The play of Ryan Johnson served as a symbolic reminder of the necessity of role players to any successful program.

A 6-foot-6 junior who comes off the bench, Johnson failed to score in the first half of the marquee game of the Ernie Kivisto Hoopfest at East Aurora.

But the Tomcats had few answers for either Johnson – or the rest of his teammates – after the intermission in the Wolves’ 71-56 victory.

Johnson scored all 12 of his points after halftime in the Wolves’ 27th triumph against a lone defeat.

“I just believe in myself and trust my shot,” Johnson said after his play in the second half underscored the overall tenure of the game. “Obviously, we had a bad first half – couldn’t handle pressure.”

“We played Tomcat basketball that (second ) quarter,” said East Aurora great Ricky Robinson, the Tomcats’ current coach who played for Kivisto in the late 1970s.

The East Aurora teams during the Kivisto years (1967-83) featured multiple state-tournament appearances girded by a high-octane offense still regularly invoked in local prep basketball circles four decades later.

But it was Oswego East and its balanced attack that reverberated loud and clear in the Tomcats’ iconic gym.

The Tomcats (17-8) overcame a nine-point first-quarter deficit with a 24-5 run in the second quarter to lead 33-25 at the break as the Wolves had as many turnovers –seven – as points in the quarter.

Mekhi Lowery had the Wolves’ entire second-quarter output, but the junior would have ample contributing company in the second half.

Patrick Robinson, who matched the Johnson effort with 12 points, had half of his total in succession to give Oswego East its first lead.

There would be one final lead change until Lowery had a three-point play that forever the Wolves on top for good.

The Wolves ultimately scored in a myriad of ways, accruing 23 points in the third quarter to take a 48-45 cushion into the decisive fourth.

Lowery, who had a game-high 20 points after three quarters, was not even needed on the offensive side of the ledger in the fourth quarter.

“We had to lock in,” Lowery said. “We had to come in with a better second half, and we did that. We were converting defense into offense in transition. We had to be smart and play our game.”

The Wolves duplicated their third-quarter output to put the game away in the fourth.

Even with Lowery held scoreless, Johnson and DeVon Oregon more than compensated for Oswego East.

Oregon also had 12 points in the second half – including two 3-pointers–to finish with 18 overall.

“I feel like we see the rankings but don’t look at them too much,” Oregon said of the Wolves’ lofty status. “We want to play our best basketball in March.”

“Our pressure seemed like it was wearing them down a little bit, but then they came out with a little extra burst of energy in that third quarter,” Robinson said. “They are 27-1 for a reason.”

J.J. Acosta led three East Aurora players in double figures with 19 points.