Nick Stowasser, Crystal Lake South dunk Burlington Central

CRYSTAL LAKE – Crystal Lake South sophomore guard Nick Stowasser pointed his right fist at the No. 3 on the front of his jersey and thumped his chest when asked who was the best dunker on his team.

“Right here,” he said, grinning.

No one could argue Tuesday night – not even teammate and classmate Carson Trivellini – and no one could argue who was the best basketball team on the court. Stowasser’s two-handed breakaway dunk, his first slam of the season, and a balanced attack helped spark the Gators to a 72-58 win over Burlington Central in a battle of the second- and third-place teams in the Fox Valley Conference.

South (20-3, 10-1) won for the ninth straight game in cooling off Central (17-7, 8-3), which had won four in a row and eight of its past nine.

AJ Demirov had 19 points, six assists and five rebounds for the Gators. Trivellini and Cooper Buelna (6 rebounds) added 17 and 13 points, respectively, and combined to sink seven 3-pointers. Freshman brothers Ryan and Johnathan Morgan each scored six points and combined for 14 rebounds. Johnathan grabbed 10 boards coming off the bench.

“Everyone contributed really well,” Trivellini said after shooting 6 of 14 from the floor, including 4 of 8 from 3-point range. “That was a big factor. Everyone stepped up, like the freshmen – the Morgans – Cooper. Everyone filled a big role tonight."

Jake Johnson had 19 points (four 3s) and five rebounds for the Rockets, who also got double-digit points from Patrick Shell (13) and Caden West (10). Central trailed most of the night but was within 18-16 late in the first quarter after Shell sank a floater, only to see South’s Tony Santarelli (7 points) hit a shot in the lane to beat the buzzer.

Central committed 11 turnovers in the first half and trailed 36-26 at the break. The Rockets lost to South on their home court, 66-61, on Dec. 6.

“I don’t think we did anything well,” Central coach Brett Porto said. “First time in a long time that I can say that. We didn’t come out and execute what we wanted to do defensively. That was disappointing to see, and then we didn’t want to turn it over versus the top third [of South’s 1-3-1 zone], and I thought some of our turnovers were a little bit unforced and way too quick, and that got them going.”

Stowasser, who’s been South coach Matt LePage’s first guard off the bench all season, scored only one basket, but it was a “momentum-changer,” Trivellini said. With the Gators up 27-21 midway through the second quarter, Stowasser stole the ball at mid-court, raced to the rim and finished his first varsity dunk.

“I’ve been waiting for the first. I missed a couple last year [in JV games],” said Stowasser, who stands 6 foot 3. “Finally, I got the courage to do it in a game.”

“He’s missed like 15 before that, though,” said a smiling Trivellini, who slapped hands with Stowasser enthusiastically during the next stoppage. “But, yeah, he got his tonight.”

Stowasser also blocked a shot under South’s basket just seconds after his dunk.

His coach loved the sequence.

“Just all-out effort,” LePage said. “We talked about that, just playing with passion. It was awesome.”

Demirov’s spinning shot in the lane beat the halftime buzzer, and Trivellini got the Gators' third buzzer-beater of the night on a drive to end the third, extending South’s lead to 54-44. The Gators led by as many as 18 points in the fourth.

“We played well together,” Stowasser said. “It was a good win.”

Next for South is a first-place showdown against McHenry (11-0 FVC) at home Friday night. McHenry beat South 51-49 on Dec. 11.

“Big week,” LePage said. “We talked about just staying present, and I thought our guys did that. They came out focused and ready to go tonight.”