Boys basketball: Newark upsets Yorkville at Plano
By Rick Armstrong rarmstrong@stmedianetwork.com December 26, 2012 8:50PM
Brett Anderson (bottom) of Newark is fouled by Kyle Shimp (middle) of Yorkville, as Yorkville's Taylor Carter and Newark's Joe Hughes (4) watch the action. | Jon Cunningham~For Sun-Times Media
50th Plano
Christmas Classic
Wednesday’s results
Game 9 — Streator 57, Dixon 35
Game 10 — Rockford Christian 53,
Forreston 46
Game 11 — Burlington Central 65,
Sandwich 41
Game 12 — Somonauk vs. Princeton, late
Game 13 — Hinckley-Big Rock 88,
Wilmington 64
Game 14 — Aurora Christian 94,
Mendota 83
Game 15 — Morris 61, Indian Creek 60
Game 16 — Belvidere 71, Coal City 36
Game 17 — Kaneland 47, Lisle 29
Game 18 — Newark 50, Yorkville 36
Game 19 — Ottawa 52,
Genoa-Kingston 38
Game 20 — Seneca vs. Plano, late
Today’s games
Game 21 — Dixon vs. Forreston, 3:30 p.m.
Game 22 — Sandwich vs. Game 12 loser, 5 p.m.
Game 23 — Streator vs. Rockford Christian, 6:30 p.m.
Game 24 — Burlington Central vs.
Game 12 winner, 8 p.m.
Game 25 — Genoa-Kingston vs. Game 20 loser, 9 a.m.
Game 26 — Lisle vs. Yorkville, 10:30 a.m.
Game 27 — Indian Creek vs. Coal City, 12:30 p.m.
Game 28 — Wilmington vs. Mendota, 2 p.m.
Game 29 — Hinckley-Big Rock vs.
Aurora Christian, 3:30 p.m.
Game 30 — Morris vs. Belvidere, 5:30 p.m
Game 31 — Kaneland vs. Newark, 7 p.m.
Game 32 — Ottawa vs. Game 20 winner, 8:30 p.m.
Article Extras
Updated: January 28, 2013 3:57PM
Go figure.
On a night when Newark’s Brett Anderson, who averages 23.3 points per game, had just one field goal and four points after three quarters of play, the Norsemen still managed to advance to the quarterfinals of the 50th annual Plano Christmas Classic.
Newark got a lift from senior guard Joe Hughes (15 points) early and freshman post Jack Clausel (17 points) late and stepped up in class and upset third seed Yorkville 50-36.
“I thought we played some good defense and didn’t do too bad a job of taking care of the ball,” said Newark coach Rick Tollefson. “I’m glad it was low scoring.
“Brett ended up with 11 (points). I think it’s a sign of maturity that other members of the team are stepping up. In our first game (in the tournament), Brett was tied for third on the team in scoring with 13.”
Newark, seeded 14th, led 6-4 after a first quarter where no one shot well. The Norsemen were 2-for-7 and the Foxes just 2-for-11 from the floor.
“The key was they outhustled us and they wanted it more than we did, plus Rick did a better job of getting his kids ready to play than I did,” said Yorkville coach Dan McGuire, whose team fell to 7-3.
Anderson’s lone point in the first half came with 4:38 left in the second quarter when he hit the second of two free throws.
“I don’t know why they weren’t falling, they felt good,” Anderson said of his shots. “I thought they even looked good but they kept hitting the rim and bouncing out.”
He helped keep his team in the game in the second quarter with two of his three blocked shots, and the Norsemen led 20-15 at the break. Hughes had 10 of his points, including a pair of treys, at that point.
Newark led 33-30 after three quarters when Anderson drove the baseline and scored on a dunk. He followed with a steal and layup, and then Clausel made a spin on the baseline and laid in a left-handed fingertip roll to cap an 11-0 run stretching back to the third quarter. It gave Newark a 39-30 lead.
“He’s really got that move down,” Anderson said of Clausel.
Tollefson could just smile at the memory.
“I told him if he went right it was an easy layup. Of course, going left got the crowd going,” the coach said.
Dakota Gette came off the bench and sparked the Foxes with a team-high 12 points, but Yorkville made just 16 of 54 shots (30 percent) against the Norsemen’s 3-2 zone.
Taylor Carter added 10 points for Yorkville.
“It’s such a big rivarly from way back when,” Anderson said. “To be able to come out here and win after losing to them twice in tournaments here and at Sandwich last year, we couldn’t be more excited.”
The two schools used to be long-time Fox Valley Conference rivals until Yorkville outgrew the league.
“(The rivalry) is not what it once was, but there’s always that Yorkville-Newark rivarly,” said Tollefson. “People who know remember that was one of the biggest rivalries in the area.”
The Norsemen are now 2-0 vs. Northern Illinois Big 12 East opponents, having beaten Sycamore at its tournament Thanksgiving weekend. Newark now faces another team from that conference, Kaneland, in Thursday’s 7 p.m. quarterfinal.
