Boys basketball: Wheaton North shakes off 31-point loss to beat St. Charles East

WHEATON – Wheaton North senior guard Jack Speers had no shortage of company in the scoring column in Thursday’s game.

The Falcons, who suffered a 31-point loss to Glenbard West on Tuesday, were running on all cylinders against St. Charles East in a DuKane Conference game.

Led by Speers’ 5-of-7 shooting on 3-pointers and game-high 22 points, the Falcons erased any negative residue with an impressive 57-32 victory over the Saints.

Speers set the tone by scoring 15 points in the first half.

“We struggled on Tuesday, but it was all about the next game mentality and (Wednesday) we talked and made sure we all understood that all the best teams even have bad games,” Jack Speers said. “We just flushed that game on Tuesday and focused on today. Since we’re little bit undersized, we like to fly around and put pressure on teams.”

In their previous meeting against St. Charles East, the Falcons scored just 18 points in the first half to win a defensive battle that featured a combined 69 points. On Thursday, the Falcons were working in sync on both ends, relying on their trapping defense and transition offense to run out to a 36-18 lead at halftime.

“It was kind of the perfect storm of bad the other night,” Wheaton North coach David Brackmann said. “We were really slow and just didn’t have it. We’ve been playing a lot of games, and a lot of our guys are playing a lot of minutes. We brought energy today. This was a good win for us. We talked about getting back to playing aggressive defense, pushing the ball and scoring and sharing the ball.”

The Falcons (13-9, 5-4) drilled nine 3s to take control of the game, with Connor Spears adding 11 points and Hudson Parker tallying nine points. Jack Speers said he’s motivated to end this season on a high note.

“I’m trying to find a school where I can succeed as a student and an athlete,” Jack Speers said. “I love playing with my brother and all these guys. I’m trying to cherish this as much as I can.”

Jack Speers’ strong play has been a big factor in the Falcons’ recent resurgence. After averaging 8.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals last season, Jack Speers is making the most out of his final season playing with his twin brother.

The 6-foot-2 Speers, a three-year varsity player, has two offers – Wheaton College and Haverford – but his basketball IQ and shooting ability makes him one of the top uncommitted seniors in the state, even if he’s relatively unsung in Chicagoland. This season, Jack Speers is averaging 13.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game and shot 40-of-103 on 3-pointers.

“I put up reps everyday and got on the shooting machine and also worked on creating off the dribble to get ready for this season,” Jack Speers said.

Brackmann said Speers is a two-way player for his small team.

“Jack is a really smart kid,” Brackmann said. “He shot it really well tonight. Wherever he winds up, he will be an asset. He’s got toughness. We’re an undersized team. He’s had to battle with bigger guys all year, blocking them out.”

St. Charles East (8-14, 1-8) struggled scoring from the opening tip, falling behind 16-3 in the first quarter in the running-clock defeat. Brad Monkemeyer scored 12 points for the Saints.

“They got on a roll early and shot the ball incredibly well tonight, and we didn’t,” St. Charles East coach Robert Klemm said. “They got us out of our rhythm early. We’ve been playing really good basketball the past few weeks, but tonight just wasn’t our night, but credit to them because they played incredibly well.”

https://www.shawlocal.com/my-suburban-life/2024/01/26/boys-basketball-wheaton-north-shakes-off-31-point-loss-to-beat-st-charles-east/